


Recaptured

by kelp_head2



Series: Demi-Mutants [2]
Category: Maximum Ride - James Patterson, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, Virals Series - Kathy Reichs
Genre: F/M, Shipping
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-16
Updated: 2016-06-03
Packaged: 2018-03-18 05:11:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 19,954
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3557255
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kelp_head2/pseuds/kelp_head2
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>sequel to Percy Jackson and the Mutant Demigods.</p><p>It's been eight months since Annabeth, Percy, and Sam were captured by Erasers and taken to the School, where they met the flock. After escaping, they made their way back to Camp Half-Blood. Now, Percy and Annabeth are in school (the regular kind.) Sam is at Camp. But something is about to go wrong, which has devastating effects not only for those affected, but for the trio's secrecy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: Close Call**

**Sam**

**SNAP.**

The familiar rush overwhelmed me: fire and ice, hot and cold. Then, strength never experienced by a regular human. My ears buzzed. My eyes honed in  _way_ beyond my normal 20/20 vision. The air became a combination of scents.

                I felt… alive. As if I’d been asleep most of my life.

                I  _flared._ My eyes were no longer brown, their natural color; they were gold, glowing with an almost evil-looking light.

                Normally, I would need shades to keep others from seeing my irises, but not here. Here, in the woods at Camp Half-Blood, I could burn my flare without a care. Hey, that rhymes!

                It was a good idea to exercise caution though: I’d had several run-ins with Leo and Natalie. Both of them had a reputation for following me around.

                “Stay on track, Sam.” I muttered. “You’re out here for a reason, and it’s not to rant.”

                Last July, my half-brother Percy and I had combined our flare powers (and our ability to control water) to create a hurricane. It hadn’t lasted for long, and I passed out afterwards. We decided not to control water while flaring, but it got me thinking: what if I tried to control a small amount of water while flaring? Would it work?

                 _Any ideas?_ I asked in my head. To most people, this would sound weird. But not to me.

                 _You’re on your own._ The voice wasn’t mine.

                I sighed. I should’ve known the voice would say something like that. Well, fine.

                Concentrating, I held out my hand. Water swirled into my palm, a sphere no larger than a baseball. Reluctantly, I tried to make the sphere grow.

                Pain.

                More pain.

                Nothing but pain.

               I had to rope one arm around a tree to keep from falling on my face. But I kept concentrating, never wavering.

                 **SNUP.**

My flare died, leaving me momentarily weak. As I stood up, shaking my head, I heard Leo’s voice: “Sam? Are you out there?”

                I called out, “I’m here.”

                Leo and Natalie rushed into the clearing. “We heard screaming,” Natalie explained. “Both of us knew you liked to go off into the woods.”

                There was no point in asking how they knew. Stalkers.

                “Something rushed past me,” I lied. “No idea what it was. Scared the heck out of me.”

                I could tell Leo didn’t believe a word I was saying. Thankfully, Natalie spoke first.

                “Really? Well, I hope you’re okay.”

                I nodded. “Yeah. Either the thing wasn’t after me, or it just wanted to scare me.”

                “I’m glad you’re not hurt,” Natalie said, relieved.

                As the three of us walked together, I thought about what had happened.  _You knew what would happen._ I mentally accused.  _You could’ve told me._

_Where’s the fun in that?_ the voice questioned.

                That reminded me of something that had bothered me for a while.  _What should I call you?_ I thought.  _Do you have a name?_

_Call me whatever you want, just don’t call me late to dinner._

_Was that supposed to be funny, Jeff?_ I asked.  _‘Cause it wasn’t._

_Jeff?_ The voice sounded annoyed.  _My name isn’t Jeff!_

_Well,_ I explained,  _you’re not revealing your name, so I’ll make one up._

                 _Jeff._ He sighed. (Was that even possible?)  _Jeff._

**Ayo! I'm back!**


	2. Connections

**Chapter 2: Connections**

**Sam**

                "Continuing to watch Project X."

"Project X shows no signs of abnormality."

I groaned. This was more pointless than a broken pencil.

For seven months now, I have been reading files I had stolen from the School. The files were about Percy, though the whitecoats hadn't known that he was a demigod. Amazingly, the files held almost nothing of importance to me. I kept reading though; Jeff had said something about the files holding info about me and the other Virals.

_I wasn't wrong._ It was as if thinking about Jeff had provoked his voice. _You haven't made it to that part yet._

_You don't say._ My sarcasm was evident, even in thought. _Instead, I get to read all this bull. Yay._

_Try looking at the files from two years ago._

_Why two years ago?_ But I obeyed.

                The first bunch of pages were boring: mentions of past experiments, stuff like that. It wasn’t until “April 18” that I found anything worth reading.

            “Dr. Marcus Karsten is to start his research on canine parvovirus today. His goal is to create a cure for a new virus we are creating, making a fortune in the process. Let us hope he does not fail.”

                “Oh my gods,” I said out loud. “Karsten.”

                I continued reading.

                “April 27:

            Success!

            Dr. Karsten has completed his research, and is scheduled to begin his experiment soon. We are anxious for his results.”

_Do you see now?_ Jeff asked. _Everything is connected, Sam: Karsten creating the virus, Karsten testing his newly created virus on the wolfdog, you and your friends contracting the disease, your flares, everything._

                I was scared to ask, but I did anyways. _What about the Eraser finding me, Percy, and Annabeth? Is that connected too?_

                Guess who couldn’t sleep that night: me.


	3. Nightmares

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this story takes place DURING Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports.

**Chapter 3: Nightmares**

**Sam**

                “Are you okay?” Natalie asked me the next morning. “You look tired.”

                “I’m fine,” I replied. “Just… dreams.” When in fact I had slept for two hours maybe, if that.

                Natalie nodded. When you’re a demigod, ‘dreams’ is a valid excuse for sleep deprivation.

                Jeff hadn’t said anything else after he dropped the bomb, but I was still terrified. Everything inhumane I had gone through: the flares, being claimed, the School, the whitecoats giving me wings — it was all connected. Talk about mind blowing.

                I didn’t read the files the next night. After my conversation with Jeff, I wasn’t ready to read that stuff again. I did, however, have dreams.

                Nightmares is more like it. I was watching Percy as he, Annabeth, Piper, and Jason were running in the dark.

                “Hurry!” Annabeth shouted. “They’re coming.”

                I couldn’t see what was chasing them, but whatever it was had all of them scared.

                “What are we running from?” Jason asked.

                He shouldn’t have said anything. Something leapt at them from the shadows. Whatever it was had red eyes that glowed in the darkness.

                The thing swung a fist, and it connected with Piper’s head. She collapsed, and Jason cried out. “Piper!”

                In the next few seconds, the four demigods were surrounded by glowing red eyes. “Come,” a voice issued from the group of red irises. It sounded metallic, as if coming from a robot. “Come quietly or suffer.”

                There was a ringing sound as Jason, Percy, and Annabeth unsheathed (and, in Percy’s case, uncapped) their weapons. “Never,” Percy said defiantly.

                A faint red light came from each of the Celestial Bronze swords, reflecting off the attackers’ eyes. Percy’s irises also issued a small amount of light, but it was a golden light; he was flaring. I could see the opposing force clearer now: they looked like wolves, but there were occasional areas where bits of metal were exposed.

                Annabeth gasped. “Percy,” she said in a barely audible whisper, “they look like Erasers.”

                Percy’s head bobbed. “Robotic Erasers,” he replied.

                “Erasers?” Jason asked. “What are Erasers?”

                Percy and Annabeth exchanged a glance. “Half men, half wolf hybrids,” Annabeth explained. “These look like Erasers, but more robot-like.”

                One of the Eraser things lunged at the trio. Percy’s blade slashed through its body, and it collapsed. “There’s too many of them,” Percy said. “We can’t hold on for much longer.”

                “Percy?” Jason must have just noticed that my half-brother was flaring. “What happened to your eyes? Why are they glowing?”

                Percy grimaced. “It’s nothing.”

                “Nothing? Dude, you’re eyes are  _glowing._ Aside from being creepy, that’s not normal. Something’s seriously wrong with you.”

                Those Eraser thingies closed in around my friends.

                The dream changed. Now, I was with the flock, but Max and Fang were missing.  _Where could they be?_

                Angel and Nudge were playing a game (mancala, I guessed) with rocks. Suddenly, the sky went dark. The flock, or what was left of it, looked up. They were surrounded by the same Eraser-like things that had attacked my friends.

                “What are they?” Nudge asked.

                Angel looked frightened. “I can’t get in.” She was probably talking about her mind powers.

                 _BOOM!_ Iggy had set off an explosive, blowing bits of metal everywhere. “Gross!” Nudge exclaimed.

                The things had surrounded the flock, and were inching closer and closer. Every flock member fought bravely, taking down countless enemies, but more kept coming.

                “No,” I protested. “No, that couldn’t have happened. Neither of those.”

                 _But they did, Sam._ Jeff was back.

                The dream changed again. I was in the bunker with the other Virals: Tory, Ben, Hi, Shelton, and Cooper. “Please no.” I couldn’t bear to see them being taken away too. “Please tell me this isn’t like the other two.”

                 _You’ll find out._ Jeff was, as per usual, unhelpful.

                Coop’s ears perked up.  _Brother-friend._ Cooper’s voice echoed through my mind.

                “Cooper?” I asked. “Why am I here?”

_Something bad will happen,_ Cooper replied.  _Like last time, with your friends and the wing people._

“Yeah,” I agreed.

The other Virals continued their conversation, as if I wasn’t there; like they couldn’t see me.

Suddenly, Cooper growled. “What is it, Coop?” Tory asked. In an instant, I understood: a harsh, metallic scent mixed with wolf,  _definitely_ not human. When Coop fired out of the bunker, I followed.

Outside, the moon illuminated everything around me, including those strange Eraser-like robots that had attacked the flock along with Percy, Annabeth, Piper, and Jason.

Tory was first out. “Guys,” she called, “you need to see this.”

Shelton was next. “Holy crap!”

Hi followed. He let out a string of curses.

                Ben was last. Already flaring, he looked  _right at me._ I waved, thinking he would see me, but Ben didn’t react.

“What are they?” Shelton asked. All the Virals were flaring now.

“My guess,” Hi answered, “is some kind of Eraser.”

“Come on, Tory.” Ben gritted his teeth. “Do your thing.”

“I’ll try.” Tory wasn’t the least enthusiastic. “It might not work; Sam’s not here.”

“Not technically,” I agreed, “but I’m here.”

“Sam?” Tory, Shelton, and Hi scanned their surroundings, looking for me. Ben just shook his head.

_Where are you?_  Tory asked in her mind, having connecting us however she usually does.

“Sleeping peacefully at camp.”

_No, seriously._

“I mean it. I don’t understand this either. It’s really weird.”

_No kidding._ Hi looked around again.  _I can’t see you._

                “Listen: those things attacked Percy, Annabeth, and the flock. I’m not sure what they’re capable of, but I think they intend to capture you guys and take you to the School. And please, however bad you think that place is, it’s  _way_ worse; trust me.”

                 _What are we supposed to do?_ Shelton asked.  _We can’t beat these guys._

_Yes we can._ Tory sounded confident.  _They don’t know what we can do._

                “Come quietly or suffer.” The same robot-sounding voice came from somewhere inside the mass of metallic bodies.

                “Not a chance,” Ben growled. Coop howled in agreement.

                As one, the Virals charged into the ranks of the furry forms.

                The fight was a blur. Because we could see through each other’s eyes, none of us got so much as a scratch, although I knew I couldn’t get hurt because I wasn’t actually there.

                “We did it!” Shelton was surprised. “We actually did it!” Then he, along with the others, collapsed as their flares gave out.


	4. Taking Action

**Chapter 4: Taking Action**

**Leo**

                Sam was acting really weird the next morning. His eyes kept darting around, as if he was expecting someone to attack him. His foot tapped with nervous energy. He could’ve easily passed as an ADHD kid, despite his claims that he wasn’t.

                After breakfast, Sam walked over to Chiron. I overheard their conversation.

                “Percy, Annabeth, Jason, and Piper are in trouble.”

                Chiron’s expression was unreadable. “How did you come by this knowledge?”

                Sam shrugged. “A dream.”

                He explained his dream to Chiron, and I tried not to freak. If Sam’s dream had happened, then my friends were in trouble. But what to do?

                As if Chiron had read my thoughts, he said, “I will do what I can to help. In the meantime, it should be a top priority to keep quiet.” At this, Chiron looked at me pointedly. Sam turned to face me. I tried to act innocent, but I don’t think Sam bought it.

                Later that day, I told Calypso about Sam’s dream. “If it really happened,” I concluded, “then they’re in trouble. But I don’t know what to do.”

                Calypso answered, “Do what you think you should do.”

                “But that would mean disobeying camp rules!”

                “It wouldn’t be the first time, would it?” Calypso said.

                She was right. “Sooo, you’re saying I should go.”

                Calypso kissed my cheek. “Come back alive, Fire Boy.”

                I walked over to the Poseidon cabin, hoping Sam was there. He wasn’t. Instead, I found a letter that had my name on it. I opened the letter to find this message:

_Leo,_

_I knew you were going to come. Once you had heard that our friends are in danger, then there was no stopping you. So, I hope you’ll come with me to rescue them. Meet me by the Pegasus stables before sundown. If sundown comes and I still haven’t seen you, then I will leave on my own._

_Make your choice wisely Leo,_

_Sam_

                Huh. How about that.

                I made my way to the Pegasus stables, feeling both nervous and excited. True to his word, Sam was there, stroking a black Pegasus.

                “Beautiful, aren’t they?” he asked.

                “Umm,” I replied, “that’s not Blackjack, is it?”

                Sam chuckled. “No. This is Coalblack, who has apparently chosen me to be her rider.”

                Oh. “So, the Pegasus chooses the rider? Like in Harry Potter with the wands?”

                He shrugged. “In some cases, yes. But you can pick yours.”

                I looked at the Pegasi, studying each one carefully. “That one,” I said, choosing a light brown Pegasus with white wings. The Pegasus whinnied, then nuzzled me affectionately.

                “That’s Wynter,” Sam introduced. “She promises she will protect you from harm.” There was an unspoken ‘I hope’ in his eyes.

                “Do you even have a plan?” I asked.

                “Nope.” He grinned. “I only got to the part where we’re out of camp.”

                I rolled my eyes. “Am I supposed to be amazed or something?”

                “Nah. Let’s go.”

                Two Pegasi and their riders soared into the New York skyline.


	5. Explaining...Again

**Chapter 5: Explaining…Again**

**Leo**

                “So, explain something to me,” I said. “What happened to you, Annabeth, and Percy?”

                Sam looked down at the cities passing by. I noticed two large slits in the back of his shirt. “Sam? What happened?”

                “An accident,” he said, noticing my gaze.

                “With what? A knife?”

                “No. Worse.” With that, _wings_ peeked out from the slits.

                I gaped, unable to string a sentence together. Wings. Wow. I never would have thought of that.

                When I finally regained my ability to speak, I asked, “So, can you, you know, actually fly? Or are those ornamental?”

                Sam laughed. His wings opened to their full extent (which was HUGE!) and he leapt off Coalblack’s back. He soared, glided, and flipped, charging the air with a joyous energy.

                It didn’t last for too long, though. Soon, Sam was back on Coalblack. “I shouldn’t have done that.” His mile wide grin had faded to a slight smile. “Zeus will probably kill me.”

                “Make it worth it, then.”

                “Ha ha.”

                Sam launched into his explanation: how he became a Viral, the Eraser capturing him, Percy, and Annabeth, meeting the flock, escaping, et cetera. I was surprised by how much he’d been through without telling anyone.

                In the middle of explaining, Wynter whinnied and descended, Coalblack following.

                “Are we there already?” I asked.

                Sam shook his head. “The Pegasi agreed to bring us to Ohio; after that, we’re on our own.”

                We landed and said goodbye to the Pegasi. “Where to now?” I asked Sam.

                He pointed to a sign. “Train station. I have some mortal money, but I’m not sure how much.”

                It was enough, but the train line only went as far as Texas.

                “You were saying?” I said after the train left the station.

                “I was going to try and Iris-Message the Virals. After last night, I’m guessing they want to discuss things with me.”

                From his pocket, Sam pulled out a clear plastic. “Plastic wrap,” he announced.

                After spreading it out and flattening the plastic as best as he could, Sam looked at me expectantly. “Got any water?”

                I stuck my hand in my tool belt and came up with a bottle of Dasani. “Here.”

                Sam accepted the bottle. He popped the cap and poured some water on the flattened plastic wrap. The setting sun’s rays bounced off the water, creating a rainbow. “Impressive, no?” Sam asked. He reached into his pocket again and produced a gold drachma.

                As he tossed the drachma, Sam said, “Oh Iris, goddess of the rainbow, accept my offering.”

                The drachma disappeared through the rainbow.

                “Show me Tory Brennan,” Sam commanded.

                An image appeared in the rainbow: three guys and a girl were in some kind of bunker, chatting. Oh, and there was a dog.

                One of the guys realized we were watching them. “Holy shoot!” he screamed.

                Okay. That’s not what he actually said, but it’s close enough to the truth.

                The others turned around to face the image that was me and Sam.

                “Sam?” the girl asked. “What…how?”

                He waved. “Hey, Tory.” He was so casual it was like he did this kind of thing all the time.

                “So,” he said, “Leo, meet the Virals: Tory, Ben, Shelton, and Hi. Guys, this is Leo Valdez, son of Hephaestus.”

                I smirked. “Y’all look stupid.”

                The girl, Tory, glared. “I suppose this is normal for you demigods.”

                I shrugged. “Maybe. But on a scale of one to ten, your faces were a fifteen.”

                “Whoa, guys!” Sam held up his hands in a placating gesture. “Take it easy.”

                One of the guys shared a look with Tory. A few seconds passed before Tory huffed. “Fine. Just make him shut up.”

                “I want to talk about last night.” Sam ignored her request.

                “It was awesome!” one of the other guys said.

                Tory smacked the back of his head. “We almost got captured, Hiram. Would it have been ‘awesome’ if we were captured?” she made air quotes around the word ‘awesome.’

                Hi didn’t answer, but the other guy did. “No. Please don’t talk about that; I don’t want to think about it.”

                “Thank you, Shelton,” said Tory.

                The oldest boy, who had to be Ben, addressed Sam. “You said something about those things capturing Percy and Annabeth.”

                Sam nodded. “In that part of my dream, the Eraser robots cornered Percy, Annabeth, and two friends. I didn’t actually see them get captured, but there was nowhere for them to escape.”

                “I feel him,” Tory said, a faraway look in her eyes.

                I asked, “Him who?”

                Sam’s eyes lit up. “Really? Can you make contact?”

                “I’ll try.” Tory closed her eyes.

                “Who?” I asked again.

                Sam explained, “Tory is able to…connect us while we’re flaring. We’re able to communicate in our minds. After Percy became a Viral, she was able to connect him as well.”

                “She’s able to communicate with Percy? Could she say hi for me?”

                Ben tried to say something, but I couldn’t hear him; the Iris-Message was fading.

                Sam was unresponsive as the Iris-Message blinked out. He continued staring straight forward, his golden eyes focused on nothing.

**Percy**

                My head whipped back and forth.

                “Is something wrong?” Jason asked.

                “I — I thought I heard Tory’s voice,” I said.

                Piper jumped back, startled. “You…you’re flaring.”

                “He is?” Annabeth sat up. “Percy, you know you’re in no shape to flare.”

                “It’s not like I flared on purpose!” I protested.

                _Percy._

                There it was again! “Tory?” I whispered. When there was no response, I thought, _Tory?_

                My eyes closed on their own, and suddenly I was in the Viral’s bunker. But that was impossible! That was in Charleston!

                _It worked!_ There was no mistaking Tory’s voice now.

_What are you talking about?_ I asked.

_Percy._ It was Sam’s voice this time. _Are you guys alright?_

_Yes. Well, we’re at the School, but we haven’t been experimented on yet. But this is weird._

_You’re okay, then?_ Ben’s voice. _I mean, not dead is probably an accomplishment for a demigod, right?_

Sam: _We’re coming, Percy. Leo and I are on our way right now._

Me: _You’re kidding, right? Please tell me you’re joking._

Hi: _He’s not._

                Tory: _We were almost captured by those Eraser things. We managed to beat them, but Sam told us about you guys being captured._

Me: _It’s a trap. They’re coming after you, Sam. Be careful._

                The bunker started to fade out. _We’ll be fine, Percy._ Sam thought. _Stay alive for me. Oh, Leo says hi._

                I opened my eyes to see Annabeth, Jason, and Piper staring at me. “Are you okay?” Annabeth asked.

                “Yeah. Why?”

                “You were totally out,” Piper said. “We couldn’t get you to respond to anything.”

                I stood up slowly. “I’m fine. Sorry for scaring you.”

                “Tell me about it.” Annabeth wiped a tear from her eye.

                “Apparently, Sam and Leo are coming to rescue us.”

                Jason sighed. “Took them long enough. But still, yay.”

                The door opened, and three people walked into the room: a man, a woman, and…

                “No,” I gasped.

                “Hello,” said the other person.

                Annabeth was in an equal amount of shock. “How could you betray her? Betray _us?”_

                The girl sighed. “You wouldn’t understand, either of you. They needed to be stopped. And so do you.”

                She tugged on the man’s sleeve. “Come on, Jeb. Let’s leave them alone. To give them time together.”

                The trio strolled out of the room, and we all heard the lock click shut.


	6. Betrayal

**Chapter 6: Betrayal**

**Sam**

                I tried to get some sleep. Realizing that I couldn't, I sat up and tried to come up with a plan.

                I couldn't. Every time I tried, Jeff would be the helpful voice he is and shoot me down.

                _What’s the point of a plan?_ He complained. _Too many things could go wrong._

_Things could always go wrong._ I argued.

                _This is a rescue mission._ Jeff shot back. _Now isn't the time to fail._

_What do you think I should do?_ I replied angrily. _Just walk in there with no plan? “Here I am! Which cage is the nicest?”_

He was quiet for so long, I thought I had stumped him. Then he answered, _Yes._

                I growled and shouted, “You IDIOT!” Then I clamped a hand over my mouth, thankful that Leo was a heavy sleeper.

                _Let me finish._ Jeff pleaded.

                I sighed. _Fine. As long as you’re being sane._

_You’re being watched._

                Huh? I whirled to stare out the window. Nothing seemed to be following us. Heck, nothing was able to keep up with the train.

                _Did you_ really _think you could just escape from the School?_

                He had a point. _I admit the escape seemed easy. But how would they be able to follow us to camp?_

_I don’t think the new Erasers would be able to get inside Camp Half-Blood’s borders. But as soon as you and your friend left, bam, you’re back on the map._

_What’s_ with _them, anyways?_ I asked. _The new Erasers._

_They’re robots, programmed to look like Erasers. They were created to replace the original Erasers._

_Replace?_

_Yes. The old Erasers were…exterminated._

_What!_ That would explain why there weren’t any regular Erasers in the groups that attacked my friends.

                Suddenly, a thought surfaced. _Jeff?_ I asked. _What about Ari and Chance? Were they killed too?_

                Jeff took a bit before answering. _Yes, Sam._ His voice, which usually held no emotion, seemed sad. _They’re…gone._

                Gone.

                I don’t know how long I zoned out. I was lost in memories of chance and Ari. Even though most of the memories weren't good, they were all I had. I didn't like either of them, but I didn't want them _dead._

_Do you see now, Sam?_ Jeff’s voice brought me out of my stupor. _These Erasers are nothing to mess with. They will stop at nothing until they have you. By trying to rescue your friends, you’re playing right into their hands._

                I blinked…and was almost blinded by the sunlight. I sat up in time to hear the train’s brakes kicking in.

                Leo yawned and stretched. “Where are we?”

                I squinted, trying to read the electronic sign. “Dallas,” I answered.

                Leo shook his head. “Dang it. I was hoping for Houston. Come on, let’s get off.”

                I checked the newspapers. I don’t know why, but I did. On the front page was the title “Freaks or Fakes?” There was a picture of the Dallas football stadium, but _the_ _flock_ was there.

                “Leo,” I said. “Look at this.”

                He did. “That’s them, isn't it? The flock?”

                I nodded. “That must have happened before they were captured.”

                We had a while before a train left for California, so we decided to look around. Of course, we had to get lost.

                “There’s too much nothing,” Leo complained.

                I rolled my eyes. “Better than living in the middle of nowhere, like me.”

                “You’re used to it, though. To me, there’s nothing for miles and miles.”

                I tensed. “No. Not exactly.” I pointed to a pair of glowing red eyes. “Our turn.”

                Suddenly, there were an abundance of red eyes all around us. “Here we go,” I muttered.

                We were immediately surrounded by wolf-like robots. “Come with us,” one of the robots said. Its voice was metallic and inhuman.

                Leo set his hands on fire. “How about no?” he said.

                I drew my sword and charged.

                The fight didn't last wrong. Soon, an Eraser/robot had Leo, its metal claws against his throat. “Come with us,” the Eraser robot (hey, Eraser-bots!) said in its weird voice. “Or this one will die.”

                The Eraser-bots probably thought (well, I don’t think they could think) I would've given up. But I yelled, “Never. I won’t do it.”

                Leo looked at me, eyes wide with terror as the Eraser-bot’s claws dug deeper into his neck.

                “Go ahead,” I said. “Kill him.”

                The Eraser-bots were confused. I should’ve surrendered to save my friend, not let him die!

                The betrayal hit Leo hard. Literally, as one of the Eraser-bots swung its fist. Metal collided against skull, and Leo dropped to the sand, unconscious.

                I winced. That _had_ to hurt. Something whistled toward my head. The thing made contact, and everything went dark.


	7. Only a Memory

**Chapter 7: Only a Memory**

**Leo**

                When I woke up, I was in a dog crate with cold, metal bars that hurt to sit on. The room was pure white: white floor, white ceiling, and even white doors. In fact, everything in the room was either white or metal.

                My head throbbed where one of the Eraser things had clocked me. Rubbing my bruised skull, I noticed there were four other cages in the room, each containing one of my friends: Jason, Annabeth, Piper, and Percy.

                There was no sign of Sam. I remembered how he had  _let_ the robots attack me.

                "Hey, man." Jason's voice jarred me from my thoughts. "Glad you're awake."

                I tried for a grin, but failed. "I came to rescue you guys."

                Piper snorted. "Good job, Repair Boy."

"Where's Sam?" Percy asked. "Did he escape?"

I shook my head, refusing to speak about him. That little traitor was the only reason I was here.

"Funny you should talk about Sam." A girl no older than eight had just entered the room, accompanied by three Eraser robots.

"Angel!" Percy and Annabeth exclaimed.

Angel? Wasn't she a member of the flock? Why was she on the Erasers' side?

"Yes, Leo," Angel said, even though I hadn't said anything out loud. "I  _was_ a part of Max's mutant group. But I came to realize they couldn't win. Their time is coming very soon. And so is yours." She giggled. "But first, I'll let you see Sam for the last time. Maybe even make his life worth something."

Another Eraser entered the room. This one was carrying another dog crate. He (it?) set the cage down.

Percy, Annabeth, Piper, and Jason gasped. "Sam!" Percy cried. Then he turned to Angel, tears streaming from his eyes. "How could you do this to him?"

Angel shrugged. "Punishment. He tried to escape."

I finally decided to look at Sam.

He was barely recognizable. Cuts and bruises covered every inch of his body. He had no shirt, and his wings were tattered and a lot of feathers were missing. When he opened his eyes, they were dull and distant.

"I'm sorry for getting you guys into this," he said. His voice sounded pained. "All of you."

"Don't be." Annabeth was crying silently. "I enjoyed it."

"Leo," Sam addressed me. "I'm sorry. I didn’t mean it. It was part of my plan." He tried to shrug, but winced. "I guess plans don't always work, do they?"

Sam's breathing became shallower. "Listen, all of you. Soon, I will only be a memory. Don't let that stop you. You need to be strong for me. Find the flock. Escape."

Sam took another painful breath. "I am only a memory," he said. "Only a memory."

With that, he closed his eyes, and Sam Schiffer's time was up.

"No," Percy sobbed. "He can't be gone. He just can't be."


	8. Escape

**Chapter 8: Escape**

**Percy**

                When Angel and the strange Erasers had left, everything was silent. Nobody said a word for a few hours. Finally, Annabeth broke the silence. “I can’t believe he’s gone.”

                “Don’t say that!” Leo choked. “And to think that I thought…”

                “Stop,” I said. Somehow, I could _feel_ my flare trying to show itself. Talking about Sam only made it worse.

                Suddenly, I felt a hot spike of anger build up in my chest. Sam was only the first; the scientists wouldn’t stop with him.

                The usual blast of power knocked the air out of my lungs, but this time felt stronger than ever before. While I was gasping for air, memories that weren’t mine swirled around in my head. The Virals fighting against those Eraser things; the flock being captured; Leo and Sam, side by side against the Erasers. Finally, I saw Sam being beaten by the Erasers. _This is only the beginning,_ the images seemed to say. _Unless you can stop them._

                “I don’t know how long I have until I shift.” My voice was gravelly, making me sound a few years older. “We _need_ to escape. Now.”

                The others were silent as I shifted forms, becoming a wolf. I felt stronger than I had ever been before. I opened my mouth, and my howl was probably heard in New Mexico. I was going to take them down.


	9. Escape (Part 2)

**Chapter 9: Escape (Part 2)**

**Max**

                “It’s time for your extermination,” said ter Borcht. “Say your good-byes.”

                “Good-bye.” It was Angel, holding a long metal bar. She swung the bar, and it connected with its target. Dr. ter Borcht dropped, and chaos ensued.

                “Angel!” Nudge and Gazzy exclaimed.

                Fang and I smashed against the crate, but it was too strong. “I can’t get through!”

                “But I can!” I turned to see Ari, already morphed into an Eraser, right next to our cage. He bit down and started to chew through.

                “She’s going to let him eat us!” Nudge cried.

                I decided it was time. “Angel’s not a traitor. She and I agreed that she would do this so she could get us out if anything happened.”

                I continued as four dumbstruck bird kids stared at me. “We came up with this plan in case the worst happened. Which, of course, it did. Angel’s not a traitor – she never was.”

_CRASH!_

                Everyone jumped as Ari forced the bars apart. We all tensed, waiting for him to attack. Instead, Ari backed away, giving us room to escape.

                “Come on!” he shouted. “Get out of there!”

                What?

                “He’s on our side!” Angel yelled. “He’s with me! He’s getting you out! Ari! _It’s time!”_

                Ari bent his knees. Someone jumped straight over him, whooping at the top of their lungs.

                Sadly, the person’s landing failed, unless he was _trying_ to trip and fall. He got up grinning, though. After dusting off his pants, he turned to stare at me with his golden eyes. “Long time no see, eh, Max?”

**Percy**

                Being a wolf is one of the weirdest things I’ve ever experienced.

                Aside from the physical difference, there’s also the heightened senses. I could see way sharper than the usual 20/20 vision. I could detect the slightest movement; not only with my eyes, but with my ears as well.

                The strangest thing happened every time I took a breath. The air was alive with new scents: antiseptic, human, wolf, metal, but also emotions like anger, fear, and revenge.

                It was weird.

                Leo had melted the bars of his cage, allowing him to slip through. I burst through my cage, then easily ripped through Annabeth’s and Jason’s cages.

                I was going to smash the door open when Annabeth put her hand in front of my. “It’s open,” she announced. She pushed the door to prove her point. “How about that.”

                We stepped out into the hall. Everything was quiet, even with my enhanced hearing.

                Then, an Eraser thing appeared two doors down. I lunged, and two seconds later, the thing was a mess of metal. I saw Leo grab a piece of it before we continued, probably to examine later.

                Eventually, I caught the scent of Celestial Bronze. I stopped and sniffed the air before heading off in a different direction. “This is weird,” I heard Leo mutter to Jason.

                I led the others through doors and hallways before finally coming to a door marked ‘Storage.’ I punched the door, and it swung open.

                Leo gulped. “Remind me not to get on your bad side, Percy.” Then he stepped into the room. “Guys!” Leo whisper-screamed. “Our weapons!”

                My nose had been right. There sat two daggers, a tool belt, and a sword. Riptide wasn’t there, but I wasn’t worried.

                Fully equipped, we stepped back into the hall. This time, I was following a different scent: a mixture of human and bird, hoping it was the flock.

                _Man, this place is huge!_ I thought. I lost count of how many times we backtracked. It was basically a scientist’s Labyrinth.

                After gods knows how long, we found the exit. It didn’t have a red ‘EXIT’ sign, but there was no mistaking the gust of wind that escaped from below the door. “Here we go,” Annabeth said.

                Too late, I realized the door was automatic. Whatever; we made it out anyways. Straight into a battle zone.

                Scientists lay on the ground, dazed. Eraser robots were nowhere to be seen. And there, flying around with a metal bar in her hand, was Angel. Ari was near a cage containing the flock.

                I growled. Those two were going to kill the flock!

                Annabeth stopped me. “Look.” She pointed to Ari. “He’s getting them out.”

                I checked again. Annabeth was right; Ari bit down on the cage, creating a hole large enough for even Max to fit through.

                “He’s on our side!” I heard Angel yell. “Ari! _It’s time!”_

                Someone hurdled over Ari before crashing to the ground. He (I could tell it was a he) looked at Max. “Long time no see.”

                I made a sound of confusion. It couldn’t be him. Could it?


	10. Escape (Part 3)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> last escape chapter, i promise.

**Chapter 10: Escape (Part 3)**

**Sam**

                I hurt.

                I couldn’t see or hear anything. But I could feel, because it hurt something fierce, man!

                _Is this what death feels like?_ I wondered. _I always thought of it as painless. I mean, you’re already dead, so what can hurt, right?_

                I found out I was not dead when I opened my eyes. I was at the School, and standing in front of me was Angel. “How about that,” I groaned. “Nearly dead, and I’m greeted by an Angel.”

                “I don’t have much time.” She didn’t even say hello. “I’m due in a few minutes.”

                “So that’s it?” I asked. “Keep me alive and leave me?”

                “You weren’t going to die.”

                That surprised me. “Excuse me, but since when have you ever been an expert on death? Besides, last I saw you were watching them beat me to death. Or close to it, whichever you prefer.”

                Angel giggled. “You were never in danger of dying. You were asleep.”

                I gaped. “That’s the best you can come up with? ‘You were asleep.’? Try again, but this time give me a _good_ excuse.”

                “It’s true,” she answered. “You were in hyper sleep, kind of like Captain America in the movie. Your heart didn’t beat, but you were still alive.”

                “But that’s not physically possible,” I countered. “Your heart _has_ to beat to pump blood through your body. If it doesn’t, you’ll cease to live.”

                “Is it physically possible for a human to have wings?”

                “Well, no. But —”

                “There you have it,” Angel interrupted me. “These people specialize in doing the impossible.”

                I muttered, “For evil, yes. And you’re with them.”

                “It worked, then.” Angel motioned with her hand, and _Ari_ walked in. “I was a spy for Max. An insider. And he is too.”

                “But… but he’s supposed to have been retired. Killed, if you must. How is he here?”

                Ari answered for her. “I’m the last original Eraser alive. They, uh, killed the others and let me live because I’m Jeb’s son.”

                “That’s horrible,” I said. “Well, you still living, not really. But that’s a stupid reason to keep anyone alive.” I thought about another Eraser I had met. “What about Chance? Is he alive too?”

                He shook his head.

                That crushed my hopes. “So what are we supposed to do?”

                Angel said quietly, “I’m supposed to watch the flock be exterminated.”

                “So am I,” Ari replied.

                “We can use this.” A plan was starting to form in my head. “You two can go out there. Ari, since you’re stronger, you can carry me on your back. We can rescue the flock.”

                “Wait.” Ari looked confused. “I understand you want to help them, but how are you going to help? Can you even stand?”

                I looked around, trying to figure out where we were; some kind of storage room, by the looks of it. While I was searching, I noticed a familiar tool belt that looked _totally_ out of place. “Hang on. Is this what I think it is?”

                I was able to grab the tool belt. Reaching inside, I thought _ambrosia._

                My hand brushed against a plastic baggie. I pulled it out, and ta-da! “Ambrosia, anyone?” I asked.

                Angel and Ari looked at me as if I had gone crazy. “It’s a bunch of lemon bars,” Angel said in a ‘duh’ tone.

                “That’s what you think.” I opened the bag and ripped a small chunk off a bar. With Ari and Angel watching, I ate it.

                It did not taste like a lemon bar; it tasted like _s’mores._ And not just any s’mores. These were Camp Half-Blood s’mores.

                Angel gasped. Ari backed up so he was against the wall. “What the heck?”

                I looked down at my arms. Most of the scars were gone. I stood up and stretched. “Ambrosia,” I explained, “heals demigods. On the other hand, it’s _deadly_ to mortals. Like, burn-to-a-crisp kind of deadly.”

                “Okaay,” Ari said. “So that problem’s solved.”

                A few minutes later, the three of us were out in a courtyard or something like that. Angel flew around, whacking scientists with a metal bar she had found in the storage closet. Ari had morphed into an Eraser and bit through the flock’s cage. It looked like it hurt, though.

                Finally, Angel said my cue: “It’s time!”

                I catapulted off Ari’s back, screaming like a maniac. My timing was off or something, because I fell down.

                My flare pulsed through me.

                I turned to face Max. “Long time, no see, eh, Max?”

                Her expression was so priceless I laughed. “What are you doing here?” she asked.

                “I appreciate your concern. Really, I do. But now, you need to escape.” I turned to Ari. “You too. Go with them.”

                Max and Ari asked in unison, “How are _you_ supposed to escape, then?”

                I closed my eyes in concentration. When they opened, I had an escape plan. “My ride is coming. It shouldn’t be long before… oh, look!” I pointed towards six specs in the sky, coming closer.

                “That’s the flock.” Max sounded dubious.

                I corrected, “No, that’s the flock over there.”

                That was when I heard a familiar voice: “Sam?”

                I turned. Annabeth, Leo, Jason, Piper, and Percy (who was in wolf form) rushed over.

                _Dude!_ I heard Percy’s voice in my head. _You were dead. I saw you with my own eyes. You weren’t breathing._

                At the same time, Leo hugged the air out of me. “You were dead.” He had tears in his eyes. “You weren’t breathing. You gave us a little speech.”

                “Dead?” Max asked. “You. Dead?”

                “I can explain later,” I said. “I swear on the River Styx. But now, we need to leave before those Eraser-bots come.”

                Percy transformed (shifted, he called it) back into a human. “But how? We can’t fly.”

                _Hey, boss!_ Came a voice in my mind.

                Percy turned to stare at the six forms flying towards us. “That’s… Blackjack!”

                Everyone waited for the Pegasi to land. When they did, it was absolute insanity. Everyone started talking at once, trying to explain what happened. Finally Max, ever the voice of decisions, said, “We need to leave.”

                I guess leading a group of mutant bird kids has its perks. Everybody stopped trying to explain and climbed aboard our winged steeds. Percy, of course, rode on Blackjack. Leo rode on Wynter, and I rode on Coalblack.

                “Everyone ready?” Percy asked.

                A chorus of ‘yes’ rose from both the demigods and the Pegasi.

                Like fighter jets, the Pegasi rose in perfect formation. Up and out of the School. _See ya later,_ I thought. _Not!_


	11. The Parting of Ways

**Chapter 11: The Parting of Ways**

**Sam**

 "So where to?" Piper broke the silence that had fallen over the group.

 Blackjack whinnied. "Not too far from here," Percy translated. "The Pegasi need to rest."

 "Are we being followed by the Eraser-bots?" I asked.

 "Flyboys," Fang said.

 "Huh?"

 "They're called Flyboys, and no, we're not being followed."

 "Whatever."

 Max volunteered, "I know a place."

 Everyone looked at her. "I, um, made a few friends in Arizona."

 "And they know about your wings." Fang's tone made it a statement.

 She nodded. "It's Dr. Martinez and Ella."

 "Who?" Percy asked.

 "They've helped me before. Twice, actually."

 Since no one else said anything, that's where we ended up. Well, that's where the flock did.

 "Why not?" Nudge asked.

 "The Mist works in mysterious ways," Annabeth explained. "Some mortals might see the Pegasi as a half dozen horses. Others might see them as something completely different."

 "But we see them as Pegasi," Gazzy said. "How does that work?"

 She replied, "Some mortals can see through the Mist. Like my friend Rachel. And you guys, and the Virals, among others."

 "So this is goodbye?" Angel wondered.

 "I guess so."

 As if on cue, the Pegasi started to descend towards the edge of a forest. The flock followed.

 I saw Max grimace. "Bad memories?"

 She nodded, not bothering to elaborate.

 We landed on the side of the woods facing the rows of houses. It was a quiet town; not much seemed to be going on. The Pegasi slumped to the ground and began to rest.

 There were goodbyes all around. Ari pulled me, Annabeth, and Percy aside. "I'm sorry for attacking you guys. I-I've changed."

 "You helped save my life," I reminded him.

 Annabeth added, "You helped us escape."

 "Besides," Percy said, "my face is fine. I could take you on. And win."

 Ari rolled his eyes. "Whatever, Percy."

 Fang didn't say anything; he just shook my hand and nodded.

 Max embraced me. "It's been an honor fighting with you, son of Poseidon."

 "You too, Maximum Ride."

 Gazzy was next. "It was really cool seeing you guys fight." Then he blushed. "I mean, with us! Not against each other."

 I ruffled his hair. "I know what you mean. And I can say the same with you."

 Angel had a present for me a briefcase. "Chance Claybourne's last experiment," she told me. I started to open it when she said, "Wait. You should open it in front of the other Virals."

 "Why? Do you know what's in there?"

 She shook her head. "I don't know how, but I just _feel_ like it has something to do with you guys."

 I trusted her, so I stopped trying to open it. "Alright. I won't open it until I'm with the other Virals."

 Angel hugged me tightly. "I'll miss you."

 Then it was Iggy's turn. "Iggy." Where to start? "I-"

 "Don't get all mushy on me," he said. "I hate it when people get mushy over me."

 "Iggy, you amaze me. Despite being blind, you can fight just as well as any of us here. When you can see again, I'm _definitely_ staying on your good side."

 He frowned. "When I can see again?"

 "Yeah. The Hephaestus kids make amazing stuff; curing blindness shouldn't be too hard."

 Iggy's expression didn't change, but I thought I saw a few tears form in his eyes. He held out his hand, and I shook it.

Last but far from least was Nudge. We didn't speak at first; we just stood there, hugging each other. "Nudge," I whispered. "I'll miss you."

We pulled apart. Nudge wiped away some tears, and I blinked rapidly, trying to clear my own vision. "I," she stammered. "I..."

"What?"

"......I love you." She rushed the words.

Nothing could've stopped my heart like that. "I love you," she repeated, before kissing me on the cheek. It didn't last for long, but it felt like an eternity.

Nudge backed up, her face bright red. Then, she turned and walked off with the rest of the flock.

The other demigods continued to stare at me. I hoped my face wasn't as red as it felt. "Uuuuhhmmmmmm..."

They turned away, finding something else to do-except for Piper, who continued to glare disapprovingly. "You didn't kiss her back."

Where did _that_ come from? "Wh-what?"

"She kissed you, but you didn't return it."

"Um, did you hear a warning? 'Cause I didn't. It's not like we planned it or anything."

Piper sighed. "You two are perfect for each other."

My blush spoke volumes.

**Max**

"Max!" Ella pulled me into a hug. Then she noticed I wasn't alone. "Oh gosh. All of you."

I smiled. "Yeah."

Unsurprisingly, Jeb was there. He too embraced me. "Max," he whispered. Then he turned to Ari. "My son." The two hugged, though Ari's surprise showed on his face.

Then I saw her: Dr. Martinez-Mom. For a moment, the world faded until it was just me and her. "I knew you'd come back," she said.

"Uh-huh," I managed. Then, I broke into tears.

**Sam**

"So, what's our plan?" Leo wondered.

The six of us sat in a circle around a fire, curtesy of Leo. Night had fallen some time ago, but my emotions were still as jumbled together as before. Part of me wanted to act like nothing had happened. Part of me wished I could go back in time and kiss Nudge back. Part of me wanted to stand up and sing some kind of love song: "Love Addict" maybe, or "Made for Me." I couldn't figure out which one was more tempting.

"We sleep here," Annabeth said. "Once the Pegasi are rested, we can head for New York."

"You guys are, anyways," I said. "I'm going to Charleston."

Jason asked, "Why? What's in Charleston?"

"The Virals," I answered. "It's been-wait, it's April, right?-almost a year since I've seen them. Besides, Angel said whatever's in the briefcase has something to do with us."

"So that's why you're lugging that around," Piper noticed.

I nodded. "I'm not planning to stay for long, but I do need some time with my friends, especially since I'll be staying at camp for the summer."

This brought an onslaught of questions. 'How do you like camp?' 'Are there any other Poseidon kids?' 'Have you ever gotten in a fight with one of the Ares kids?' Stuff like that, until Piper asked, "What was it like for you? To be in love?"

I had to think about the question for a moment. "Well, it was like a magnet: my thoughts were pulled to her."

"But that would mean you two are opposites," Annabeth said matter-of-factly. "Like charges repel each other."

"We kind of are opposites. She's in the air, while I'm stuck on the ground. I'm a demigod, and she's a mortal-well, sort of. And" I chose this moment to let my inner choir addiction loose "'I got white skin, and she got brown skin. But milk and coffee's always been a beautiful blend.'"

An awkward silence filled the air for a moment, until Leo spoke. "I didn't know you could sing."

"Everyone can sing, Leo." I answered. "Some people just can't sing well, but they can still sing."

"Sing some more," Annabeth requested. "That was _amazing."_  


"Maybe some other time." I yawned. "But now, I need sleep. I'm really tired. Back from the dead and all."

The joke fell flat, even to me.

* * *

The next morning came too early. I woke up well before the others, giving me more than enough time with my thoughts.

What in Hades' name happened? Leo and I were recaptured by those Flyboy things, just like I had planned. But then, they separated me from Leo. When I tried to break free, they had beaten me senseless.

I will _never, ever_ be able to forget the pain they inflicted: the Flyboys couldn't feel, being robots, so all they did was carry out whatever orders they're given. My shirt was so tattered it fell away. Every part of my body was attacked savagely, though I had managed to shut my eyes, so then only the lids were exposed. My wings were ripped to shreds while _still intact_ in my back. I had no drugs, no painkillers, not even Tylenol. It was amazing I had lived through the torture at all; the fact that I was alive now made no sense-I SHOULD be dead!

  
_Your time hasn't come._ It was Jeff, no doubt, but his voice sounded gravelly and strangely familiar. _We all have expiration dates. Yours has yet to come._  


  
_Who even are you?_ I wondered. What _are you?_  


_I am a friend; you know who I am. An enemy turned ally; you know me, Sam._

"No way," I whispered with mock enthusiasm. _Dr. Seuss incarnate?_  


_Hardly._

I reached for my back-there was a reoccurring itch over by where my wings had grown-but felt nothing except for skin and bones. "What the flip?"

"What?"

I turned to see Leo stretching, like he'd just gotten up. "My wings. They're gone."

Puzzled, he made his way over. "How do wings just disappear?"

"Who knows? But who cares? Zeus has no reason to kill me now! I don't have to worry about _that_ anymore."

"Who cares?" Leo looked curious. "Those things were beautiful."

"Wings don't belong on a child of Poseidon."

That effectively ended the conversation.

My friends took their time waking up. But finally, everyone, including the Pegasi, was ready to go.

"You sure about this?" Piper asked. "You know you're always welcome at camp, right?"

I nodded. "I'll be back soon; shouldn't take much longer than a week at most."

"Alrighty, then." Percy turned to the Pegasi. "Are you guys ready?"

Blackjack whinnied. _Of course, boss!_  


"Why does he call you 'boss'?" I wondered.

Percy shrugged. "Long story."

As the Pegasi rose into the air, I thought I saw someone point at us from the ground. It looked like the flock was waving up at us. _Goodbye, guys._ I thought sadly. _Who knows? We might be able to see each other again._  


_I hope so, too._

Wait, what? _Ari?_ You're _the voice that's been in my head?_  



	12. Revealed

**Chapter 12: Revealed**

**Ari**

                It took him long enough, but Sam finally realized who I was. I still have no idea how it works; I only know that it works.

                “Ari?” Max looked over at me. I suppose it would look kind of strange, me staring at nothing.

                “Hmm?”

                “You okay?”

                “Yes. Yeah, Max. I’m just thinking about Sam and the others. I hope they’re okay.”

                She sighed. “Me too, Ari. Me too.”

**Tory**

                “If Sam were here, we would’ve been able to take those creeps,” Ben growled. “They’re newbies. Novices. Nobodies.”

                “One person wouldn’t make a difference,” Hi said. “Those guys still would’ve won.”

                “They had the element of surprise. We could’ve taken them.”

                “The Trinity is still out there,” I said. “And I have no intention of letting them win.”

                Someone from the ‘door’ of the bunker asked, “Who’s the Trinity? Sounds like some kind of group for weirdoes.”

                Coop yipped before leaping into the person’s arms. “Good to see you too, boy.” Sam looked up at us. “What did I miss?”

                “A lot.” We told him about our problems with the Trinity, and how we knew where they were hiding.

                “So, the Trinity is another group of Virals.” Most of Sam’s silliness was gone, replaced by anger. “Great. Just what we needed: more Virals. Do we know who any of them are?”

                I nodded. “The leader is Will Speckman, a friend and former colleague of Chance’s. We don’t know who the other two are, but we think that one of them is a girl, possibly Speckman’s girlfriend.” Or a member of the Tripod.

                “And they’re stashed in the _Yorktown_?”

                I nodded.

                “What’s that?” Hi pointed to a briefcase that Sam was carrying.

                “It’s a briefcase,” he replied simply.

                Ben rolled his eyes. “Well, no duh. But what’s in it?”

                “I don’t know.” Sam shrugged. “Angel told me not to open this until I saw you guys, so I guess now’s a good time to find out.”

                Sam unlatched the case, then opened it slowly. Inside were several small vials containing a greenish liquid. A piece of paper was taped to one of the vials. Sam picked it up and read it aloud.

                “‘I’ve done it! It’s been eight months, but I finally made a cure. But not just for me; this serum will return any mutant’s DNA back to its rightful code. All it takes is a few drops.

                ‘After the fight with Tory and her friends, I realized how wrong I had been.’” Tears were forming in Sam’s eyes as he read the last line. “’I hope Tory will forgive me when’—” he choked. “—‘when I show her that it works.’”

                Silence. “What?” I asked. “What does that mean?”

                Sam responded slowly, “It means Chance was a normal person when he was killed.”

                “Wait. So he’s dead?”

                Sam nodded. “All of the original Erasers were killed off and replaced by the robot ones that attacked us. Chance was one of them.”

                “Good,” Ben growled. “Chance was the one who got us into this situation.”

                “He’s also the one who made a cure!” Sam yelled.

                Ben shot back, “Who said I _wanted_ a cure?”

                “You can’t be serious, Ben. For all we know, any of us could be dead in the morning because of our flares, and you want to keep it?”

                “We’re not going to die,” Ben said. “At least, not **you.** ”

                “Being a demigod has nothing to do with our flares.”

                “Not that we know of.”

                Sam and Ben seemed to be close to fighting. “Stop it!” I shouted.

                Both boys pointed at each other. “He started it.”

                “I don’t care! You’re both acting like little kids. Grow up!”

                Ben blushed. Sam found the floor to be very interesting.

                “Thank you,” I said. “So, Chance is dead, but we have a cure. Where does that leave us?”

                “We could use the cure on the Trinity,” Hi suggested.

                I nodded. “Sounds like a plan. But not tonight; tonight we just need to see if they really are at the _Yorktown._ ”

                “You ready for tonight, water boy?” Was I the only one who detected jealousy in Ben’s voice?

                Sam pumped his fist. “You bet!”

**Natalie**

                Leo returned alone, which had me worried; both he and Sam had disappeared on the same day, so everyone thought they had left together. But when Leo came back by himself, I began to worry a lot more than I had when they were missing.

                “Where’s Sam?” I asked him the next morning.

                He shrugged. “Somewhere. He’s alive, if that’s what you’re wondering.”

                “When will he be back?”

                Leo looked away. “He said he wouldn’t be long, but he didn’t give an exact date.”

                “Is there something I’m missing? Did something happen to Sam?”

                Leo didn’t answer.

**Tory**

                “Just broke the law again,” Shelton complained. “Thought we might skip a night, but nope!”

                “Oh, come on Devers.” Sam was bouncing so much I thought he was going to bounce right out of _Sewee._ “You’re not used to it yet?”

                2:00 A.M. The five of us were on _Sewee_ heading towards the _Yorktown._

                Shelton looked appalled. “Who said I _wanted_ to get used to this?”

_Sshhh!_ I searched the hallway. _Did you forget we can communicate_ without _making a sound?_

_Yeah, Tory!_ For a moment, I thought Sam was still using his mouth; his sarcasm was not unnoticed. _I forgot we can use telepathy. That’s_ totally _it!_

                Ben smacked Sam’s head. _Knock it off. Get serious._

_What?_

_I can’t see or hear anything,_ Hi reported. _This place is creepy._

                As one, we stepped through the hatch. When it closed, everything was pitch black.

                Shelton and Ben flicked on their flashlights. Even though we could see beyond the human scale, we needed _some_ light in order to see.

                The silence just made the _Yorktown_ even creepier. The five of us wandered aimlessly until Shelton stopped. _You hear that?_

                I strained my hyper-sensitive ears until yes, I heard…

                _Singing?_ Disbelief radiated from Sam in waves. _What the flip? Are they insane?_

                We followed the noise as it got louder and louder. Finally, I stopped. _Whatever’s singing, it’s coming from this room._

_Remember,_ Hi sent, _aim for the crotch._

                The door, surprisingly, was unlocked. Inside was an ancient-looking CD player. It was playing some song I didn’t recognize. _6, 5, 4, seconds in counting. I’m going for the kill. Mayday. Kamikaze. Yeah, yeah…_

                I could hear the song in my head as clearly as my ears could. I realized Sam was tapping his foot to the beat. _You know this song?_

_Yeah. Yeah, I guess you could say that. But why would they leave this on unless if it’s…_ He stopped. _It’s a trap._

                Sam bolted into the hallway where we’d come from. _Come on!_ He sent, just as Ben shut off the music.

                No one moved, which proved to be a mistake: in a few seconds, the door shut and locked, trapping us in and Sam out.

**Sam**

                _Really, guys?_ I thought-screamed. _I wanted to be part of the action._

                Silence. It sucks when your friends are having a mutant showdown, and you’re locked on the outside.

                _It’s five against one,_ Hi finally said.

_It was,_ I reminded him. _Now it’s four on three._

_You’re a demigod,_ Ben thought. _You can find some way to help._

_How’s he gonna do that?_ I guessed Shelton was tugging at least one earlobe, a nervous habit of his. _He doesn’t have a light._

_Sorry to disappoint you Shelton, but it’s_ you _that doesn’t have a light._

                A few seconds of silence, then: _What? How did you—_

                I shrugged. Then I remembered he couldn’t see me. _Granted, it wasn’t the fastest theft I’ve seen, but it was short enough. See you guys when I find a way over there!_

                With that, I flicked on the light and searched for any indication of stairs.

                _Any advice, Jeff?_ I thought.

_I’m not Jeff!_ Ari’s voice replied. _You know who I am._

_Oh yeah. Sorry, Ari. Hey, that rhymes! Anyways, do you have any advice?_

_If you don’t take a chance, you don’t stand a chance._

                I stopped. _Where did you get that from? Because I feel like I’ve heard that phrase before._

                I could practically see Ari shrug. _I forgot who said it, but it’s not my words._

                Okay, then. I resumed my search for—never mind.

                I ascended the stairs, hoping my friends were okay.

_We’re fine, Sam._ Tory’s voice. _Well, mostly. The Trinity’s escaping._

                _Not if I can help it._ My search became more frantic. Where is an exit?

                I ran smack into someone, sending us both toppling to the floor. For a moment, I thought it was Tory. Then the person gasped. “Sam? You aren’t supposed to be here! You’re supposed to be in New York!”

                I recognized the voice as Ella Francis, Tory’s best friend besides us Virals. But I didn’t fully recognize Ella: her eyes were glowing red. Just like Chance’s had. “Ella…” My surprise turned to anger. “You’re one of them. The Trinity.”

                Ella rolled her molten red eyes. “No duh! I thought you were smarter than that.”

                “Why?” I wanted to know. “Why are you doing this to them? To us?”

                She stood up and started backing away. “You’re like Tory. Now everything’s messed up.”

                “You didn’t answer my question, Ella. Why are you guys doing this?”

                Ella had backed into the shadows, but I could tell she was close enough to hear me.

                “Why? What did we do?”

                She didn’t answer. Instead, she turned and started running towards a small pinprick of light in the distance.

                I called after her, “If you run, you better keep running.”

                Ella kept running.

                _Follow her,_ Ari told me. _The other Virals are also heading that way._

I stood up. _Thanks, Ari._ I took off in the direction of the light.

                _Sam?_ I heard in my head. _Sam, where are you?_

                I didn’t know who said it, but I answered, _I’m heading towards what looks like an exit._

                I felt Hi look through my eyes. _See ya there!_

_We identified another Trinity member,_ Ben sent. _Cole Gordon: friend of Speckman’s, total dork._ Although ‘dork’ isn’t the word he used.

_Nice!_ I decided not to tell them about Ella. They’d find out eventually.

                We met at the source of the light, which turned out to be a door.

                _They went through here._ Ben cracked his knuckles.

                _You ready to give them a knuckle sandwich?_ I asked him.

                _Yeah,_ he growled. _And you’re next._

_Another time._ With that, I opened the door and stepped through.

                I was right about one thing: the door led to an exit. Well, sort of. If by exit I had meant a hundred foot drop into the ocean, then I was right.

                _Where are they?_ I could sense Ben’s anger.

                Shelton pointed. _There’s Speckman over there. But what is he doing?_

                Speckman turned, having seen our shadows. “Too slow!” He turned and jumped over the side.

                We rushed to the edge of the _Yorktown._ “Is he crazy?” I asked.

                “No.” Tory pointed. “Zip wire.”

                That would explain why he looked like he was flying over the ocean. “Let’s go,” I said.

                “We can’t.” Shelton was tugging both earlobes. “They took all the harnesses.”

                I heard feet pounding up the stairs. Voices, their volume increasing as they got closer. “We better hurry,” I said. “I hear someone coming.”

                “We can use these.” Ben held up a length of rope. “There’s a bunch of them, more than enough for us.”

                “It’ll be just like hang gliding,” Hi said. “Except without care for safety.”

                “I’ll go first,” Shelton volunteered nervously. He grabbed a thing of rope, straddled it between his hands, and jumped over the side.

                “I’ll go next,” Hi said. And jump he did.

                Ben didn’t say anything; he just jumped.

                “You next,” I said to Tory.

                “I was going to say that,” she said.

                I shook my head. “I want to know who’s following us. It’s not the Trinity, so who could it be?”

                She nodded. “Gotcha.” Tory leaped off the edge.

                I paused, letting whoever it was catch up. I saw combat boots and dark clothing, but no indication of who it was, except that it wasn’t Flyboys.

                Finally, I jumped over the side, calling my sword to my hand. With one hand holding my sword, I was hanging on with the other hand. I managed to cut the zip wire, then fell to the ocean below.

                I summoned a wave to carry me to _Sewee._ Right after I jumped aboard, Ben gunned the engine, and we shot away.

**Tory**

                “Care to explain who was following us?” Sam asked.

                “They’re part of some secret government agency,” I answered.

                Sam groaned. “Great. Like we need to attract more attention to ourselves.”

                The boat suddenly jerked to a halt. “What is it?” Hi wondered.

                Ben pointed. “Smoke. Coming from Morris.”

                I squinted and saw a red-orange glow coming from our destination. “Fire,” I realized.

                _Sewee_ shot towards the shore. “Oh no,” Shelton said as we got closer. “Oh no. No no no!”

                The fire was coming from our bunker. “How did they find it?” Ben howled.

                “They _wanted_ us to find them,” I said. “So they could cut us off at our legs.”

                Sam had his hands clasped together, facing the ocean. I heard him mutter, “Father—Dad, Poseidon, whatever—I need you. I can’t do this alone.” He jumped up and out of the boat.

                For a moment, nothing happened. Then a huge wave crashed into the boat, rocking us, almost sending Hi overboard. When the water receded—no, not receded.

                Sam was standing in the middle of the water, staring at the flames rising from the bunker. “They think they won,” he growled. “But fire doesn’t scare me.”

                “What are you doing?” I asked.

                He turned, and I gasped. The water surrounded Sam completely, but he was perfectly dry. His eyes were flat golden disks. “I can stop it. But it might cost me.”

                “Don’t!” I yelled. “Sam, don’t! The bunker isn’t worth dying for.”

                “But protecting my friends is,” he argued. “And I am protecting you.” He lobbed a ball of water into the bunker. Some of the fire went out, but not all.

                Sam ran into the burning bunker.

                “No!” I shouted. Ben had to hold me back from rushing in there with Sam.

                PHOOM! The bunker’s opening collapsed, with Sam still inside. “No,” I whispered. “No.”

                “It’s too late, Tory.” Ben was still holding me back. “There’s nothing we can do. He’s gone.”

                “No,” I protested. “No, he can’t be.”

                Something shot out of the bunker, creating a hole in the mound of sand where steam billowed out from. The body landed with a THUD a few yards from the hole.

                We rushed over to Sam’s body. His face was horribly burned, along with his arms and legs. His clothes had been spared, probably from the water that had been around it. His eyes were closed, and he didn’t appear to be breathing.

                A wave covered the body, blocking it from view. When the water was gone, Sam’s body was perfectly normal looking, as if nothing had happened.

                “What was that?” I asked.

                “Um, guys,” Hi said, “look at this.”

                He pointed to words in the sand that hadn’t been there a minute before. ‘He isn’t dead.’ The letters spelled.

                Wha?

                Another wave crashed on top of the words, washing them away. In their place were new words. “‘My son isn’t dead,’” I read aloud. “’He spent a lot of energy, and needs rest.’”

                I was overjoyed that Sam was still alive, but I was more confused than ever.

                ‘Thank you for watching over my son,’ were the next batch of words.

                The final message said, ‘Please continue watching my son. He may not know it yet, but I have always been with him.’

                A wave washed away the message.

                “What was that?” Shelton asked.

                “I think,” I said, “I think Poseidon just sent us a message.”

 

**With 2,678 words, this is by far the longest chapter I've ever written. Sorry it took so long.**


	13. Aftermath

**Chapter 13: Aftermath**

**Percy**

                “After being captured,” Jason said, “high school seems kind of boring.”

                “At least we don’t have to worry about being kidnapped, right?” Piper added.

                “Maybe.” Annabeth’s calculating look returned. “We’re sitting ducks for another Flyboy attack.”

                I wondered aloud, “ _Would_ they try to capture us again? We beat them before. It’s not like we can’t—”

                Pain exploded in my head. I fell on the bed, shivering and convulsing, grabbing my temples. “Percy? What’s wrong?” Annabeth tried to pin down my body.

                I couldn’t respond. “Percy?!” Annabeth’s panic grew. “Can you hear me?”

                I still couldn’t respond. What was going on?

                “Piper, Jason, help me,” Annabeth said. The three of them were able to pin me to the bed.

                A low growl pierced the air. I realized it was coming from me.

                “What’s going on?” Piper asked, worried. “Why is he doing this?” The pain was so strong I could barely hear my friends.

                Annabeth stuttered, “I—I don’t know.”

                Slowly, _very_ slowly, the pain ebbed away. My body stopped its shuddering. “I think…I think it’s done.”

                My friends released their holds on my body. “What was that?” Annabeth asked.

                I shook my head. “I have no idea.”

**Tory**

                The next morning, I went back to the bunker. And Sam.

                Honestly, the bunker didn’t look too bad. Most of the smoke and fire seemed to have come from the electronics, which were doomed. Chance’s briefcase managed to survive, along with the vials inside. Everything else was either gone or seriously burned.

                It was Sam I worried about most. He _looked_ fine, but he kept twitching in his sleep. Despite the message from Poseidon, I was still worried he wouldn’t wake up.

                “Sam?” I whispered. When he didn’t respond, I asked louder, “Sam? Are you okay?”

                “Where is he?” I hadn’t expected him to reply, but when I turned to look, Sam’s eyes were still closed. Yet he was standing.

                “Where is he?” Desperation filled his voice.

                I replied, “Who?”

                Sam’s eyes snapped open. What I saw terrified me: his eyes were gold, but they were a darker shade than usual, and full of anger. “You know who I’m talking about. Where. Is. My. Brother?”

                “Not here,” I said.

                “You killed him.” I realized something else: Sam’s bronze sword was pointed at my chest. What’s more, Sam’s eyes were focused on nothing—he was still dreaming.

                “What are you talking about?”

                Sam growled, “He died here. Because of **you.”** With each word, his sword came closer, and I backed toward the opening. “If you hadn’t kidnapped him, Percy would still be here!”

                I didn’t respond, but whatever was happening in the dream made Sam advance faster. “You liar. I—” his voice cracked. “I saw him here. _Dead.”_

                This was creepy. I turned and bolted for the bunker, opening, towards freedom.

                Sam was on me in seconds. “Don’t. Even. _Think_ aboutit.” He grabbed my arm—painfully—and dragged me towards a tree. I had no idea how Sam didn’t hit anything, because he couldn’t see.

                “I don’t care,” he snarled.

                “Stop.” It was Ben. His golden eyes burned with fury. “Let her go. Now.”

                Sam ignored him. “He’s still dreaming,” I called. “He can’t hear us. We need to wake him up.”

                “Oh, quit whining.” Sam continued pulling me along. “It’ll be quick and only painful for a moment. I think.”

                **SNAP.**

                I twisted, trying to break free, but Sam’s grip was too strong.

                “What’s going on? Hi and Shelton came into view. Then, Hi gasped. “Oh my god! What is he doing?”

                “A little help?” I asked. “Now would be nice.”

                Sam pushed me against a tree trunk. “Say goodbye.” He raised his sword.

                “No!” Ben lunged, but it was too late. Sam thrust the sword into my chest. I heard a THUNK as it hit the tree behind me.

                _Right through me._

                Ben pounced, quickly followed by Hi and Shelton. “How could you?” Ben howled. “I thought I knew you.”

                “Ben!” I was still a little woozy—it isn’t every day I get stabbed, only to have the sword pass _right through_ my chest—but I managed to keep my balance as I made my way to the pile of boys.

                Ben glanced over, and I thought his eyes would bulge out of his head when he saw me. “Tory? But…But I…I saw…How?”

                “Ben?” Sam’s body had stopped thrashing. He blinked—and suddenly, his eyes reverted to their normal brown. “Tory? Guys?” Then he noticed the sword in his hand. “What-Wh-What-What’s going on?”

                “You better start explaining.” Ben’s anger returned. “What were you doing? Why did you—” he chocked. “Why did you stab Tory?”

                Sam’s eyes widened. “I…I _attacked_ her?”

                “Don’t act like you don’t know.”

                “I didn’t! I swear!” I could tell Sam was being truthful, but that didn’t help much. “Did I really?”

                I answered, “I wish I could say otherwise, but yes.”

                Sam backed up, panic on his face. “I…I’m sorry. Please, don’t follow me. Please!” He turned and ran into the forest.

                Ben started to follow, but Sam was already out of sight; that guy was fast, even without his flare. “Ben, don’t,” I said. “Give him some time, then I’ll go after him.”

* * *

 

                “Sam?” I called.

                No answer.

                I sighed and continued searching through the woods. Seriously, how fast can that kid run? I only gave him a few minutes, but I couldn’t find him anywhere.

                “Sam?” I yelled again.

                Silence. Where could he be?

                The sobbing caught my attention. It was faint, like from a while away, but it was there. I followed the sound through a trail to its end.

                There was Sam, facing the ocean, hands covering his face. He rocked back and forth, hugging himself tightly.

                The scene was hard to take in. It was rare to see him shed even a few tears. The Sam I knew almost never showed any sadness. But was Sam the same guy he was a year ago?

                “Sam?”

                He ignored me.

                “Sam? It’s me, Tory.”

                He sniffled. “I thought I told you _not_ to follow me. But why would **you** listen? Half the stuff you do involves not listening to someone.”

                The comment stung. “Who **are** you?” I snapped. “One day, you show up with butt kicking powers and  willingly throw yourself into a fire, and now this?”

                He replied simply, “I’m not who I was.”

                “You think?”

                “No. I know.”

                “I’m—”

                “Don’t you **dare** say you’re sorry!” he snarled. “Those are the most meaningless words I’ve ever heard! You say ‘I’m sorry’ when you’re little kids. The world isn’t sunshine and rainbows.”

                Who _was_ this kid? “Sam, look at me.”

                He did. His eyes were red from crying. “What?” he growled.

                “Sam, I know life sucks. But that doesn’t mean you can take your anger out on us.”

                “I—I know. I just…I really hate my life right now. Everything seems to be going wrong, and there’s nothing I can do about it.”

                I nodded. “I’ve been feeling the same thing. Ever since the Trinity became a threat, I’ve felt like I can’t do anything right.”

                Sam shook his head, some of the fire coming back to his eyes. “You’re wrong. You’re the leader of us Virals, and there’s no one better I’d choose for a leader.”

                “Not even Annabeth?”

                “She doesn’t count. She’s not a Viral.”

                “Whatever.”

                Silence for a minute or so. Then I finally asked, “Sam?”

                “Huh?”

                “What happened back there? What was your dream about?”

                Sam took a long time before answering. “It was more like a nightmare. I was on some kind of flying fortress. Percy was on the ground, barely breathing. I—I couldn’t save him.” Tears droped from Sam’s eyes, darkening the sand. “He—he told me not to worry. Said he would see me again in—in Elysium.”

                He swallowed with difficulty and continued. “My flare burst to life. My friends—I couldn’t see them, but I didn’t recognize their voices—they tried to talk me out of it, but I was beyond reason. Somene had captured Percy and me, so I took my anger out on him.”

                “That’s what I must havce experienced.” I told him what I saw happen. We traded stories, and hearing Sam’s version only made me feel even worse. “Sam…”

                “Yeah. But the worst part: most demigod dreams are about stuff that’s either already happened or is happening when you have the dream.”

                I was shocked. “You don’t think—”

                “No,” he said. “I know it didn’t happen, unlike last time.”

                “Last time?”

                He nodded. I had a dream similar to this at camp, but instead of Percy it was… it was you. All four of you.” He sighed. “Being a demigod isn’t always a good thing. It rarely is.”

                I was about to reply when a shriek cut me off. “That sounded like—”

                “Hi,” Sam finished. He stood up, brushing sand from his clothes. He offered me a hand. “Let’s go.”


	14. New Ability

**Chapter 14: New Ability**

**Sam**

                "What do you think happened to them?" I asked.

                Tory replied, "I don't know, but it couldn't have been good."

                We continued through the woods. "Honestly, Sam!" Tory panted. "How did you get through all of these trees?"

                I shrugged. Without our flares, I was the fastest of the Virals. "It's the same tactic I used to get to all of my classes on time."

                We finally made it to the edge of the woods, where Tory stopped. "Sam?" she squeaked. "Please tell me I'm imagining things."

                I peeked out from behind a tree, and my heart almost froze. Standing there, looking as hideous as heck, was a seven-headed hydra.

                For a moment, I couldn't move. The first monster I'd seen was a hydra. And I had run away.

                "Sam?" Tory's face was ash white. "You see it too, right?"

                "Yeah." I swallowed. "Yeah, I see it."

                "That's a hydra, right?"

                Tory was no dummy. "Yeah. Listen: you go find the guys, and keep them safe."

                "No. You’re not going to risk your life alone."

                "Tory, this is no time for heroics."

                She almost yelled, "I should be the one telling you that!"

                Five of the hydra heads turned towards us. "Tory," I whispered, "move."

                She darted to the left as I shifted to the right. The hydra stopped and sniffed the air, then started heading in my direction.  _I'm a demigod,_ I thought.  _I probably smell good._

**SNAP.**

                I stumbled and fell.

                "Sam!" Tory shouted. A few of the heads turned to the area where her voice came from.

                "I'm fine!" I hollered back, mostly to keep the monster's attention on me. To assure this, I summoned my sword. As it appeared in my hands, I said, “Get the others!"

                She didn't reply, but the sound of sand being kicked up, hydra heads snapping, and a "That was close!" from Tory at least let me know that she listened.

                "Easy boy." I started backing towards the water. "Easy, easy."

                All seven heads roared. I didn't want to know what poison smelled like, but I could check that off my life achievements.

                I could sense the ocean, about twelve feet away. "Almost there," I muttered. "Please don't have anything mess this up."

                "Over here!" Hi's voice. Two of the heads looked behind me where he must have been.

                "No, over here!" I saw Shelton on my left. He looked _really_ nervous—he was tugging both earlobes—but he was staring a hydra head straight in its eyes.

                “How about us?” Tory and Ben, hand in hand, facing down two more of the monster’s heads.

                Which left two of its heads focused on me. “Why do I even bother with her?” I grumbled.

                The hydra looked confused, like it wasn’t sure who to attack first. Eventually, it stopped turning in circles and made a strange gag-like noise in its throat.

                _It’s going to spit poison,_ I realized. “Guys, watch out!”

                My warning was too late; in unison, all seven heads spewed poison. **“No!”**

                It was as if the world blurred: one moment I was starting to run towards Shelton, and the next thing I know all five of us were sprawled in the sand _thirty feet_ from the hydra.

                “I’m alive,” Hi marveled.

                “What happened?” Tory asked.

                The hydra roared and spit poison again. It came up short, but it was too close for my liking, especially since the hydra was charging.

                “My friends were on their feet. “Sam.” Ben never took his eyes off the hydra. “ _Please_ tell me you have a plan.”

                “I, um…yes.” If I could somehow use this super speed… I’d never heard of a hydra being defeated the way I was about to try, but there’s a first time for everything.

                Hi asked, “You have fire, right?”

                “Uh…”

                “Look out!” Shelton yelled.

                The hydra tried shooting acid again. I grabbed each of my friends and dashed away from the hydra. Its poison missed. I stopped, let go of my friends, and ran back to the hydra, who bellowed in rage.

                “No,” I said sternly. “Back away.”

                It roared and attacked again, this time positioning its seven heads in different directions, like spokes on a wheel. Perfect.

                I ran in circles around the monster, dodging poison from every head. The hydra, confused and agitated, tried moving its feet to see me. Eventually, it tripped and fell over.

                I stopped and raised my sword. In a blur of motion, I slashed through the hydra’s gut. The monster disintegrated, its remains coloring the sand in golden dust. How appropriate.

                “Sam!” Tory cried out.

                I dashed over to my friends and grinned. “I’m fine.”

                “What was that?” Hi asked. “I thought you needed fire to kill a hydra.”

                “I had an idea,” I said. “I didn’t know if it would work.”

                “Look!” Shelton pointed down at my feet. My shoes were torn apart, shredded so much that my socks were touching the sand.

                “Whoops,” I said.

                **SNUP.**

                I dropped to my knees, overcome with exhaustion. “Sam!” I heard faintly.

                “I’m…fine.” I managed to say. “Just…tired. Need…rest.” My eyes closed, and I drifted into the blackness of unconsciousness.


	15. Confrontation

**Chapter 15: Confrontation**

**Sam**

                I awoke in a room filled with water. Being a son of Poseidon, this didn’t bother me, but it was a great way to wake me up.

                I looked around, trying to figure out where I was. A shark swam in through a window, glanced at me, before gracefully swam away. Where was I?

                “Sam,” a voice said.

                At first I thought it was Ari, but it didn’t sound like him. I finally laid my eyes on a man who looked like one of the many Floridians I saw when my mom and I lived in Orlando. His black hair and sea-green eyes reminded me of Percy. I wondered if this is what Percy would look like in a couple of years. “D-d-dad?” I said in complete shock.

                The man smiled. “Hello, Samuel.”

                “But…but how? Where am I?”

                Poseidon waved his hand, and an image appeared: me, laying down on the blackened bench that had been in the bunker when we had found it. “Is that…me?”

                My father nodded. “Normally, Zeus wouldn’t allow me to contact my children directly, but he wanted me to give you a message.”

                Of course he would. “So?”

                “He knows you violated his air space. He thought you took the disappearance of your wings quite well.”

                “I didn’t _want_ wings,” I said defiantly. “Are we done?”

                “One more thing,” he said. “Your mother.”

                I nearly snarled, “What about her?”

                “Tell…tell her I love her.”

                I snorted. “I don’t know what you’ve been doing for the last sixteen years, but Mom and I don’t get along. At all.”

                “Your mother wasn’t always like that.”

                I couldn’t help it. “Really? Next you’ll be telling me the world is made of sunshine, rainbows, and happiness.”

                “Sam, I would’ve stayed with your mother, but—”

                I cut him off. “But you’re the god of the ocean and whatnot, so you’re too busy for either of your kids.”

                Irritation flickered on Poseidon’s face. “Just tell her for me, please?”

                I sighed. “Fine.”

                The underwater scene started to fade. “Goodbye, my son,” Poseidon said. “I love you.”

* * *

 

****I woke on the blackened bench, one of the few things that had survived the fire.

                Cooper barked at my feet. “Hey, boy,” I said. “Good to see you.”

                He yipped, then trotted out of the bunker.

                I looked around, realizing just how terrible the bunker looked: almost everything was blackened by the fire, and everything reeked of smoke.

                I followed Cooper out into the night. It was a beautiful night; the sand felt wonderful on my toes, it wasn’t too warm or too cold, and the moon was full.

                As I looked at the ocean, I remembered my conversation with Poseidon. I decided to visit my mom; I needed to get stuff anyways.

                I jumped into the water, not feeling the cold. I willed the current to take me to my mom’s house. The ocean obeyed.

                When I arrived, I made sure to be quiet; it was probably about midnight, and I didn’t want to have Mom think someone was intruding, although that was technically what I was doing.

                I snuck in through a window. Inside my room, I grabbed a backpack and started filling it with stuff I needed: extra pairs of clothes, deodorant, and my mp3 player stuff. I almost made it back to the window when I heard a voice. “What are you doing?”

                I turned. My mom was sitting in a chair by the front door.

                “I, uh…” I couldn’t find the right words. What was I supposed to say? ‘My real dad says hi’? ‘I met my real dad, and he’s a god’?

                “Where have you been?” Mom asked. It was as if I had gotten home late, not like I hadn’t been home for a year. “Do you know how worried I’ve been?”

                This was something I never considered: my mother, actually caring for me. I hadn’t thought about what Mom was going through.

                “Um, Mom?” Technically, I wasn’t supposed to tell anyone about demigods. I had already broken that rule twice, telling the flock and the Virals, so telling my own mother wasn’t too bad. “I, um, met my dad. My real one.”

                She stared back, shocked. “He’s dead.”

                I shook my head. “He’s _very_ alive. And um, he’s also a god.”

                Mom didn’t respond.

                “Poseidon,” I continued, “god of the oceans. He’s my dad.”

                No reply.

                “Uh, Mom? Are you okay?”

                “A god…” she murmured. “The man I loved was a god.”

                This wasn’t looking good. “I know it’s a lot to take in, but it’s true; I am a son of Poseidon.”

                She was quiet for a bit. “No. He couldn’t have been.”

                So I told her what I had learned at Camp Half-Blood: how the gods have always been alive, how they still have kids with mortals, etc.

                By the end of my explanation, Mom looked better. “I had no idea,” she said. “He left soon after you were born.”

                “He would’ve stayed with you if he could, but he didn’t have a choice.”

                Mom sighed. “Thank you, Sam.” She hugged me tightly. “My son.”

                I squeezed back, surprised to find tears starting to cloud my vision. “I love you, Mom.”

                She let me go after making me promise that I would come back in the fall. I had no problem with that, since I was going to come back anyways.

                Once I left with my stuff, I started heading back to the bunker. I didn’t make it five blocks before I ran into someone familiar.

                “Ella.” I couldn’t contain my anger. “What were you doing? Were you following me?”

                She nodded. “I was supposed to be following the others.” She grinned. “You’re _so_ bad at being quiet.”

                Her eyes were glowing red, just like every kind of Eraser I’d seen. “Why are you doing this?”

                “They don’t know about you.” She still wouldn’t answer my question. “I couldn’t allow myself to tell them.”

                “Thank you for that,” I said, “but you didn’t answer my question.”

                She looked away. “I can’t tell you.”

                I sighed. “Then it’s pointless to stand around here.” I turned and walked towards the bunker.

                Ella followed. “Where are you going?” She asked as if we were friends.

                “Why do you care?” I growled. “You’re the enemy. I’d have to be insane to tell you.”

                She noted, “You’re heading towards your stupid bunker thing. It’s burned to a crisp.”

                Her comment stung. “You failed, you know,” I snarled back. “It’s still standing.”

                “What?” She gasped. “That’s not possible.”

                “Whatever.” I didn’t bother looking at her. “Maybe you should know what you’re up against _before_ you decide to attack. Then things might actually go your way. But I doubt it.”

                I heard footsteps and turned to see Ella running away. I shouldn’t have told her that. But it wouldn’t matter, because soon the Trinity wouldn’t be a problem.

                When I got back to the bunker, Cooper was nowhere to be seen. It didn’t worry me though; the wolfdog spent a lot of time with his family.

                I put my things down on the floor. Along with everyday things, I had also grabbed my mp3 player things. Plugging in a pair of earbuds, I turned on my music.

                There were a lot of good songs I listened to, but one stood out.

                ‘ _Welcome to the island of the misfit toys…’_

                I had heard the song once before, but I couldn’t remember when.

                ‘ _Welcome to the island of the misfit toys… Land of the broken girls and boys…’_

                Well, that sounded interesting.

                ‘ _I’m sitting in detention, feeling like the Breakfast Club. Staring at my desk, wishing that I had a hug...’_

                The whole song was to people who felt like they didn’t belong. It made tears spring to my eyes as memories of my life flashed by.

                _‘This is for the misfits, rejects, losers, defects, weirdos, awkward, broke down, strange kids. Don’t you forget: you are loved. You are loved. You are loved.’_

                The song continued. I was crying like crazy, shocked at how touched I was by a single song.

                _‘This is for the cutters, the goofballs, runaways, lonely, miserable, bullied kids, feeling like the old me. Don't you forget: You are loved. You are loved. You are loved.’_

                When the song finally ended, I lay for several minutes, unmoving. I finally fell asleep, parts of the song playing over in my head. _‘Don’t you forget: you are loved. You are loved. You are loved.’_

 

**Song featured (at the end): Island of the Misfit Toys by KJ-52 (feat. Social Club and SPZRKT)**


	16. Endgame

**Btw, not all of these are mine. Some lines belong to Kathy Reichs and Brendan Reichs.**

 

**Chapter 16: Endgame**

**Tory**

Sam looked fine the next morning.Better than fine; he greeted us bouncing with energy, his brown eyes sparkling. Apparently, sleeping through the day had refreshed him. He still had no idea how he'd run that fast.

"But," he said, "the Trinity is what we need to focus on."

I announced, "I already have a plan,but we all need to work together." I glared at Sam and Ben. Both boys looked away.

"The Trinity knows about the cure,"I continued. "They think it's in my school locker. Since it's Saturday, they'll probably go and try to break into my locker."

"And you want us to use this, how?"Shelton asked.

"Just think for a moment," I said."What happens when we catch them off guard?"

Ben grinned. "We can end this. Once and for all."

Sam shook his head. "Not me."

All eyes were on him, including Cooper's. "They don't know about me. I could be a last resort."

This wasn't like him. If there was a fight, I expected Ben or Sam at the bottom of it. If we went with Sam's idea, it would be eliminating him from the fight, unless if it was going badly.

"I'll bring the cure," he continued. "We can give it to them when they don't expect it."

To my surprise, nobody argued. "If they don't have their flares," Hi said, "they won't be a problem."

"So, you're okay with it?" Sam looked as surprised as I felt.

"If it works," Ben said. "Which it will, since you're a—"

"Viral," Sam cut in. "This has nothing to do with my dad being Poseidon. We have these skills, and I'm using them. I'm a Viral 'til the day I die."

Ben nodded. "Viral." He held out his hand, and Sam shook it. Well.

**Sam**

"Good luck," I said to my friends,before switching to a high-pitched British accent. "And may the odds be  _ever_  in your favor!"

Ben grimaced. "Please don't ever do that again."

There was no sign of the Trinity anywhere, but that didn't make me relax.

"I do mean it though."

Hi said, "I agree with Ben. I've heard that enough already."

"Fine."

Flares lighted, the other Virals entered the building. Except for Cooper, who stayed with me.

"What do you think about all of this, boy?" I asked the wolfdog.

He whined and licked my cheek.

Everything was quiet for a few minutes, until the Trinity arrived. Cooper growled, nearly launching himself at the trio.  _Please Cooper,_  I sent to him.  _Remember the plan._  Then I sent to the others,  _The Trinity just arrived._

If I wasn't flaring, I'd have noway of knowing the wolf trio was anywhere near Bolton Prep.

Looking through Tory's eyes, I saw Shelton burst out of the locker, the fire extinguisher shooting right at the Trinity. Sadly, that was all that went right.

Ella launched Tory into a row of lockers. Speckman dodged Ben's punch, then slammed him into the wall. Cole jumped several feet into the air, escaping from Shelton and Hi. Together, they ran farther into the school.

_They_ _ **are**  _ _stronger than we are._  The fight must've been really bad for Ben to admit something like that.

I returned my attention back to my body when I felt something brush against my leg. It was Cooper,urging me to follow him.  _This way._

I followed him to a set of padlocked doors; the gym. Voices were coming from inside.

"Why do you want it?"

One of the Trinity replied, "Same as you. To trade."

"You think you can  _buy_  off those agents?" Tory asked.

"It's what they want," he said."They're after our research. If we deliver it to them, and don't cause trouble, they'll go away."

I shook my head. The idiot.

"What good's a cure without the virus it's designed for?" Tory continued. "They'll want both,or at least a person who's afflicted. Which means capturing a Viral."

Which made me rethink who was after us. If they worked with the School, they'd have what they wanted, except for a cure.

"Duh." The third member of the additional wolf pack was probably rolling his eyes. "Why do you think we set you up?"

"You'd deliver us into cages?" I could hear the anger in Tory's voice. "To save your own skins?"

"We didn't have a choice!" This probably came from Speckman. "Agents were snooping into the Brimstone project. Chance was too sloppy, and we landed on their radar. Once that happened, there was only one way for this to playout. Someone  _has_  to be a lab rat. Not me."

My sword was in my hand before I knew it. "Oh heck no," I muttered, though 'heck' wasn't the word I used. "There's  _no way_  I'm getting into another dog crate. Not again."

WHACK! My sword connected, and the steel broke. I set Chance's briefcase down.  _Protect the others,_ I sent to Cooper. Then I shouldered the door open.

"All right," I said, "I've had enough."

The Trinity looked surprised. "Who are you?" Speckman asked.

"I'm a true Viral," I answered."Not like you creeps."

Will Speckman snarled. "It doesn't matter that your pack came first. There's only room for one pack, kid, and it's ours."

"That doesn't give you the right to put us in cages," I pressed. "Believe me, man, if you had been in a dog crate, you'd  _never_  wish that on anyone, no matter how fricking stupid the jerk is." 'Fricking' and 'jerk'weren't the words I used.

My friends were shocked at my outburst. They had never heard something like this from me, but the Trinity had struck a nerve. You don't just say something like 'Oh, I wish this person was a caged guinea pig for whack job scientists.' After being caged—not once, but twice—I wasn't going to allow the others to experience the feeling.

"You may think you're stronger," I growled. "You could be right. But trust me when I say  **no one**  is going to end up a lab rat."

Speckman stepped closer to me. "Who said your opinion mattered?"

Suddenly, I felt more alive than ever,like I had opened my eyes for the first time. The world came alive in a way no mortal or demigod could ever imagine.

Tory had connected our minds. Our pack was whole; our minds were one.

"You don't stand a chance, Will." I could see him from five different angles. "You set yourself up, and there's no way out of this."

_Shelton, Hi, take Cole down._

Milliseconds after Tory sent the thought, the two boys sprang at the Trinity.

Speckman dodged to the left. Ellarolled to the right. Cole had nowhere to go—and no time. My friends slammed into the boy, knocking him off his feet.

Tory went after Ella. Ben and I attacked Speckman together.

The Trinity never stood a chance. They could speak to each other in their minds, but they couldn't be united like us.

Seeing from Shelton's eyes, I dodged a punch from Speckman. Ben slammed his fist into the man's stomach,but that only seemed to anger him. He roared and kicked Ben's leg,tripping him. I used my ultra-speed to shoulder charge Speckman into the wall. He dropped to the floor, but it was only a moment before he got up again. Ben was right; he  _was_  strong, if he could take a hit like that and not be unconscious.

Ben stood up. After briefly sending thoughts, I tried slamming Will into the wall again. He dove—straight into Ben's way.

It was game over for the Trinity's leader. Ben punched him in the face. And again. And again.

_Ben, stop it!_  It was Tory. _You're going to kill him._

_Good._

_Dude._  I grabbed Ben, hauling him away from Speckman.  _Enough._

Reluctantly, Ben stopped fighting.

_Good job._ I held out my fist. Ben bumped it with his bloody knuckles.

The fight was rounding down. Cole had Hi in a headlock; Shelton was trying unsuccessfully to get him free.

Tory rushed him, ramming him from behind. The guy was down for the count.

"We did it." Hi was as surprised as I felt. "We actually beat them."

A body came from nowhere, slamming into Tory, pinning her to the ground. Tears streaked down Ella's face as she ruthlessly attacked."This is your fault!" she screeched. "Everything: getting captured, becoming a mutant...it's all because of _you."_

Astrong growl ripped through the air. Cooper had somehow found a way in, and was right next to Ella, razor sharp teeth not even a foot away from her.  _Protect Alpha!_ Cooper was thinking.  _Protect Alpha!_

The blood-red light faded from Ella's eyes as she backed up, never looking away from Cooper. The wolfdog licked Tory's face affectionately.

It was over. We had stopped the Trinity.


	17. The Cure

(A/N Some of these lines I don't own; the ones I don't own belong to Kathy and Brendan Reichs.)

 

**Chapter 17: The Cure**

**Tory**

_What next?_

The question hung in the air, as if everyone was thinking the same thing, but no one wanted to say it. The Trinity was tied up with several layers of rope—including Ella, who kept eyeing Cooper warily.

"Sooo, what happens next?" Sam finally broke the silence. "Do we just leave these guys here, or...?" He trailed off.

"I don't know," I said truthfully.

"We have the cure," Hi suggested.

Speckman started to come around. "Oh, my head," he moaned. "Why does my head hurt so much?"

Ben snorted. "You look _horrible_."

He did. The leader of the Trinity had several purple bruises covering his arms and a bloody nose.

Ben wasn't one to talk about looking bad. His left eye was swollen shut.

"I'll get the cure," Sam said.

"Wait!" Cole cried. "We were just playing around with you guys. We didn't _actually_ mean to hurt you."

Ben snorted. "Right."

" _My_ favorite part was sliding down a support cable from the deck of an aircraft carrier," Shelton added sarcastically. "Lucky thing your plan to imprison us failed."

"We shouldn't have done that," Ella said quietly. She glared at Speckman. "We should've been working _with_ them, not trying to get them captured."

"This is their fault, Ella," Speckman said to her.

" _Our_ fault?" Sam exploded at the same time I yelled, "I didn't get Ella kidnapped, you idiot!"

Sam looked at me, confused. "What?"

I met Ella's gaze. "I'm sorry you got caught up in this, Ella. I feel terrible about what happened to you. But I'm not responsible. The idiot who took you is."

Speckman started to say something, but I cut him off. "As for the virus, you have Will Speckman to thank for that. Alone."

Ella stared at Speckman. "What does she mean?"

"Ignore her, Ella!" Speckman struggled against his bonds. "She's trying to divide us."

"Your virus couldn't have been caught accidentally." Sam suddenly became an expert on canine superviruses. "Ours could, but from what I remember Karsten saying, that was only within the first week of carrying the virus, which is why we caught it. But yours had to have been either injected or ingested."

Ella looked at each of us in turn. "What are you saying?"

"Don't listen to her!" Speckman shouted.

I knelt before my friend and took her hand. "I'm saying, Speckman infected you on purpose. _Both_ of you," I added, glancing at Cole.

"Liar!" Speckman shouted.

"Something must've happened," Sam said, "for him to do something like this. Something made him mad enough that he wanted his own pack of Virals."

"Chance," I muttered. "He helped Chance create the virus."

Sam nodded. "So something happened between the two, and Speckman wanted revenge. He went and found a pack of his own: his roommate who would never suspect a thing, and a new friend who'd recently been captured."

"Someone who could be easily manipulated," Hi added quietly.

Ella's eyes widened. "I never blamed Tory for anything until...the camping trip!" Horrified, she glanced at Speckman. "The whole thing was a setup! I hate you!" Tears streamed down her cheeks. I let her cry on my shoulder.

Cole turned to face Speckman. "That true man? You slip me the virus?"

Speckman didn't answer at first. Then he shrugged. "Fine. I did. Do you regret it?"

Cole shook his head. "Naw, man. Being Viral is so freaking sweet. Who wants to be normal when you can jump over walls?"

"I hate you!" Three steps brought Ella right next to Speckman. She kicked his ribs. "I trusted you!"

"Well, I made us close, didn't I? We're a pack now. You can thank me later."

Ella answered with another kick to his side. I pulled her back.

"I never wanted this." Ella's voice broke. "I don't want this."

"Funny you should mention that."

Everyone turned to Ben, who was holding a vial of green liquid. "I have a cure for being Viral."

Confused, I whispered to Sam, "Don't _you_ have the cure?"

"Yeah," he agreed. "But I gave him a vial, just in case."

Ella took the vial from Ben. Before she could drink, I held up my hand. "Wait. Ella, are you sure about this?"

She nodded, not looking at me. "I never wanted this. I don't want to lose it, but...but I will." Before I could protest again, she tipped the vial back and drank.

Nothing happened. Ella didn't choke, or grow a third eye or anything, but I had to hope that it had worked.

Ben turned to the other two Trinity members. "Your turn."

"No way, man!" Cole struggled against his bonds. "Don't come near me with that!"

Speckman closed his eyes. When they opened, they glowed like mini volcanoes. He glared at me.

Suddenly, I felt a spike of pain in my head. I dropped to one knee, clutching my head with both hands. My friends also fell, grabbing at their heads. "What's...happening?" Hi managed to ask.

"They're not trying to read our minds!" Ben shouted. "They're trying to destroy them!"

Make us forget who we are. _What_ we are.

"You brats can share minds?" Speckman roared. "Well, I can _break them_!"

Through the pain, I saw Sam crawling towards Speckman from behind. "No," he muttered. "I know who I am: I am a son of Poseidon. I've faced worse than this. I won't let you win!"

He reached the Trinity's leader. He swayed slightly when he stood up, but he held his ground. Sam's foot reared back, and then slammed into the back of Will Speckman's head.

My pain disappeared as Speckman cried out. "Release your flare," Sam growled. The look in his eyes was murderous. He glared at Cole, whose eyes already lacked their red glow. "Release it!" Sam's attention was back on Speckman. "Right. Now."

"You don't scare me." Speckman tried to act confident, but failed.

Sam's laugh made me question his sanity. "But I should _terrify_ you. If I don't even scare you, then you're a dumbass."

I was just as shocked as my friends. Sam never swore, but that was the third time he swore that day.

"Done!" The red light disappeared from Speckman's irises. "It's done."

"Good." Sam smirked, then ruffled Speckman's hair. "Good boy. Now stay down."

He finally seemed to notice us staring at him. "What?"

"You just..." I couldn't finish my sentence. "Against the pain..."

I could tell he was embarrassed. "I don't always try to be the hero, but I _hate_ it when people attack my friends."

"Oh, yeah." Hi rolled his eyes. "You don't **always** try. Just most of the time."

Sam muttered something incomprehensible and shuffled out the gym door. "Wait!" Ella called after him. "How did you break that door open? Wasn't it padlocked?"

"You wouldn't believe me, even if I _could_ tell you," was his answer. Then he ducked out of sight.

Ella looked at me for an explanation, but I just shrugged. "I have no idea how he did that either." He most likely used his sword, unless if he had crazy strength or some other power.

Sam returned, somehow managing to carry five water bottles in his hands. "You guys tired?" He handed a water bottle to each of us Virals. "I am." He opened his bottle and poured water over his face. "Oh, yeah. That feels much better." I noticed that his cuts started to vanish.

"Oh, jailors," Cole said in a singsong voice. "Could I have a Mountain Dew?"

"Sorry," Sam replied in the same kind of voice. "All I got is water. It's better for you. Plus, you might have a chance to be as sexy as me." With that, he strode out of the gym again.

Ben snorted. "What does _he_ know about sexy?"

Sam returned about a minute later. "Hey Will! Think fast!" He flung a water bottle at Speckman, who barely managed to catch it.

"Ooh!" Sam squealed with mock admiration. "You even managed to catch it! Without flaring! You have some pretty fast reflexes."

Speckman looked he might murder my friend, but he didn't try anything.

Sam rolled a water bottle to Cole, then turned to Ella. "You want one?"

She took the water from him. "You're the best!"

Sam grinned and looked away, but his smile had faded, like he'd had a bad thought. "You okay?" I asked him.

"Yeah. Just thinking." He didn't _look_ fine, but I let it pass. The last few days had been rough for him.

Cole finished his bottle. He rolled it across the floor, and Hi raced to snag it. Empty.

Sam called to Speckman, "Need help with your water? I could get you a baby bottle or—"

"Shut up!" Speckman threw his bottle at my friend but, being empty, it barely went a foot.

Ben retrieved it. When he turned, he was grinning madly. He walked over to Sam and _hugged him._ "Good job, man."

Sam looked just as surprised as me, but he returned it. "You wanted a show," he said, starting to giggle crazily. "I gave it to you."

"So, it's done?" I asked Ben, who nodded.

"YES!!" Hi broke out in a dance, and Shelton joined him. Sam looked like he might join too, but he couldn't stop laughing.

"Hey!" Some of the fire returned to Ella's eyes as she stomped her foot. "What's going on?"

"They fell for it," Sam managed to say between laughs. "They...they actually..."

Ella looked at me. "Explain."

"The boys needed some help taking their medicine." Ben shook the empty water bottle in his hand. "It's all gone now!"

"What?" Cole looked confused. "You've got meds?"

"No, you idiot!" Speckman shouted at Cole as he realized what happened. "They spiked the water with the antidote. We—" he choked. "We just drank away our powers."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas y'all!!!!


	18. The Choice

**Chapter 18: The Choice**

**Sam**

**A/N as with last time, some of these lines belong to Kathy and Brendan Reichs.**

                It had been about an hour (as far as I could figure) since we’d tricked the Trinity into losing their flares, and I was confused. Every time Ella winked at me, I blushed and looked away. Earlier, I wouldn’t be bothered by it, but I kept thinking about Nudge, and what she would think.

                _Why does that matter?_ I asked myself. _All she did was kiss my cheek. Besides, she belongs with the flock._

                So why was I so uncomfortable?

                “How long are we gonna stand around?” Hi wondered aloud.

                Tory answered, “We need to make sure the cure worked. I just wish I knew how.”

                I had an idea. “Ella!” I called.

                “No need to yell for me.” Ella was right behind me. “I’m right here.”

                I jumped. “Geez! Don’t do that!”

                “Why?” Ella’s grin made her look more beautiful.

                “Umm…”

                Fortunately Tory must’ve figured out what I wanted Ella for. “Ella, we have to make sure the cure worked before we release Speckman and Cole.”

                She caught on. “But you need me to try flaring first.”

                Tory nodded. “You took the cure before them. If it worked on you, we’ll know.”

                Ella sighed deeply, then closed her eyes. When they opened again, they were their normal, stunning green. “It’s gone.” She looked close to tears. “It might be for the best, but I feel like I’ve lost a part of me.”

                She and Tory embraced. “I’m so sorry, Ella,” Tory said. “Really.”

                “I—I’m okay,” Ella managed to say, even though she clearly wasn’t.

                After an awkward silence, I said, “Um, does this mean we should check on the other two? Make sure their flares are gone too?”

                Tory and Ella instantly separated. “Oh. Yeah, we should probably do that.” Ella beamed at me. “Thanks.”

                “Uh, you’re welcome, I guess.” What’s _wrong_ with me?

                Ben grabbed a pocketknife from Shelton. “I almost hope they try something.”

                But neither did.

                “Thanks, man.” Cole rubbed his wrists where he’d been bound. “I hope this means we’re on good terms now.”

                Ben snorted. “Don’t count on it.”

                Speckman didn’t move. He’d barely reacted when Ben had cut him loose. Suddenly, his body trembled. “Yes.” The word was barely a whisper. Then he laughed. “YES!” His eyes glowed like lava from an active volcano.

                I was terrified. The cure hadn’t worked! Even worse, none of us could flare for a while, so it wasn’t even fair.

                Unexpectedly, Speckman’s grin faded. “No, no, _no_!” He collapsed again. When he spoke, his voice quavered, like he was going to cry. “You took everything from me.”

                “We had no choice, Will.” Tory’s voice was as cold as ice. “You abused your powers. You lost your right to be a Viral.”

                Was this my friend speaking? What had gotten into her?

                But then I remembered my own outburst. The whole thing with the Trinity had affected Tory as well, and probably the other Virals.

                After Speckman and Cole left, Tory turned to us. “What now?”

                I had a question of my own. Hefting Chance’s briefcase, I asked, “What are we going to do with this?”

                Ella looked confused. “What’s in there?”

                Even as I opened it I answered, “The cure.”

                My friends gazed at Chance’s last project. “I think the question you’re looking for,” Shelton said, “is ‘Are we going to take it?’”

                It took me a moment to process what he’d said. “What?!”

                “Think about it!” One of Shelton’s hands was tugging his earlobe. “We know there’s some government agency after us, and that they’ll try as hard as they can to get us. They want us _because_ of our flares. If we don’t have what they want, they’ll stop looking.”

                “How are they supposed to know if we take the cure?” Ben retorted.

                Shelton’s next words didn’t reach my brain. His question made me think of everything my friends and I had gone through the last few years.

                I still remembered the first time we’d been shot at. I could remember my reaction to my first flares. I remembered seeing the bunker in flames. I could still see Percy’s eyes glowing with an inhuman golden light.

                My thoughts switched to what I’d gone through without the other Virals: getting captured twice, meeting the flock, watching Percy getting hauled away be Erasers. We escaped from the School twice, but from what the flock had gone through, the whitecoats wouldn’t give up trying.

                I was pulled out of my thoughts by a sharp poke on my shoulder. “Huh? What?”

                Ella giggled. “They’re waiting.”

                “Waiting for what?”

                “Are you going to take the cure?” Tory asked.

                I shook my head. “No. Those guys from the S—” I remembered that Ella was with us, and quickly changed the word, “the _Yorktown_ —those guys that were chasing us—they’re still after us, and I want whatever I can use against them.”

                Tory nodded. “What’s it going to be, Hi?” While I was thinking, the rest had chosen not to take it. I had my own plan.

                Hi looked deep in thought. Finally he said, “Screw this. Like I’m going to abandon my family.”

                “So everyone’s chosen?” When I was met with nods, I said, “Okay, then!” I shut Chance’s briefcase and locked it. As my friends cheered, I hoped I was the only one who had seen that two extra vials were missing.

**Ari**

                The flock and I were flying when I felt a sharp pain in my head. The world momentarily blacked out, then sharpened back into focus. I tried to move my wings, but realized that I couldn’t. I couldn’t move at all. I started to lose altitude.

                “Ari?” Max looked over at me. Her expression changed from questioning to alarm. “Ari!”

                I managed to flap my wings once, then started plummeting again.

                “Ari!” Max tried to catch me, but my weight pulled her down. “Fang! Iggy! Help me carry Ari!” I felt a few more strong hands slow my decent.

                My vision started fading to white, except for a pale speck that got closer and closer. When I could make out what it was, my first thought was of an older Fang: pale skin, handsome features, and dark wings. His hand reached for me, and I got the impression that I was supposed to grab the man’s hand. This was my light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel moment.

                But I’d forgotten to tell them what my dad had said. How would they find out if I didn’t tell them?

                _Please, Hades._ It was a last effort, but what choice did I have? _Please let me live a few more minutes. I need to warn Max._

                The winged figure seemed to retreat. ‘ **Two minutes.** ’ I heard a voice say. Then the flock was standing over me.

                “Ari.” Max was crying. “Please don’t go.”

                I took a deep breath, but couldn’t get enough air. “I’m sorry, Max.” I tried to wipe away her tears, but my hand wouldn’t get off the ground.

                “Ari?”

                “Need to… tell you.” It was getting harder and harder to breathe, but I had to let them know. “One of you… one… demigod. Don’t know… who…”

                My vision blurred again. The flock was replaced by the winged man. ‘ **Time’s up.** ’ Our hands met, and my world went black.


	19. The End

I'm done. This story has been getting worse and worse, even though my writing skills have improved. If you want to know what I would've written about, then here:

  * The Virals and the Trinity get captured by Phoenix Inquiry, which in this story is a part of Itex that still has Erasers. The Virals take the cure.
  * After they're released, the original Virals (including Sam) and Ella meet up. Tory and Ben officially become a couple (just like in Terminal). Sam leaves for Camp Half-Blood. He makes it there in the middle of April.
  * Ari is buried. Later, the flock finds out Nudge is a daughter of Aphrodite. Reluctantly, she agrees to be sent to Camp Half-Blood. She arrives in New York, only to be attacked by two hellhounds. Luckily, Percy, Annabeth, Jason, and Piper are around, and defeat the hellhounds. They take Nudge, who is going by her birth name Monique. They arrive in early June.
  * When Sam gets back to Camp Half-Blood, that's when he really realizes what happened with the Trinity, and that his flares are no more. Once Monique arrives, he freaks out because she looks so much like Nudge-but isn't.
  * Sam decides to tell his friends what happened with the Trinity. He breaks down. Piper, who is the only one who knows that Monique is really Nudge, tells Nudge what happened with Sam. Nudge decides she should tell Sam who she really is, and she does that night. She and Sam reunite.
  * Sam and Nudge both admit their love for each other, blah blah blah. They kiss, and that's when Nudge sees that Sam's eyes are blue. The new flares have come.
  * At the end of the summer, Percy and Annabeth head to Camp Jupiter for college in New Rome. Nudge goes back to the flock at Dr. Martinez's house in Arizona. Sam goes back to Charleston.



**THE END.**


End file.
